Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Self-Test

Vol. 3: Chapter 10.4.2 - Past Midnight

5th Day, 12:00 AM.

I woke in time for the spot registration. The remaining people from the night watch gave their goodnights before finally retreating inside the tents.

Since I was well-prepared to move around in the dark, running through the forest with a single flashlight wasn't too much trouble, especially with the moonlight's help.

It was currently 1:51 AM, and I just got back to our base camp after retaking the hilltop spot. At this time of the night, campfires were very easy to spot. So upon return, I was surprised when I saw my mini-campfire illuminating the area.

"Haruka?"

There, I saw my friend sitting on a branch.

"Yawn~... Kiyopon? You're here... Welcome back~." The cheerful Haruka tried to sound cheerful, but her sleepiness was too evident.

She was part of tonight's night watch who saw me off earlier, but they're normally up only until midnight.

"Why are you still awake?"

"Hmm... I was waiting for you." Haruka answered with a typical Haruka-grin.

"Well, I'm here now, so we should go to sleep. It would do you good to get inside the tent. The night's getting pretty chilly." I hugged my upper body, gesturing that I was feeling cold.

"Ooh, that's true. The temperature's dropped quite a bit." Haruka responded as she embraced her own upper body. "But can we hang out for a bit before that? We haven't really talked much for the past few days, have we?"

"Well, if it's only for a little bit, then I guess there's no problem."

I tried to take my seat across Haruka, but she stopped me with a "Wait-".

"What?"

"The fire is making my eyes itch. Let's just get rid of it, Kiyopon."

I nodded with little hesitation. Flames from a campfire can cause eye irritation or even inflammation with extended exposure. If Haruka is feeling the early symptoms, then it's better to just put it out. Of course, the cold would become even more apparent.

After dousing the tiny campfire, I used the flashlight to illuminate our surroundings.

"It's fine, Kiyopon. My eyes got used to the dark for quite some time now."

"I see. I'll save the battery then, since my eyes are alright, too."

Because of our location, the moonlight pierced through the trees very easily. It shouldn't take long for anyone to adjust.

"Okay~. Let's find a better place to sit then."

Haruka stood up and stretched her body. Since she didn't zip up her jacket, some things inevitably stood out. Because of the darkness, however, I could only make out the general shape of her body in my periphery.

In the end, it was decided that the two of us will sit on the grass, leaning our backs against a sturdy tree. This place probably had the best view of the sky. The amount of light was bright enough to make us recognize each other's faces.

Haruka and I sat down side by side with our shoulders touching.

"You've been working hard, Kiyopon," she said.

"It's the least I could do. Everyone's doing their part, so I didn't want to work on things half-heartedly."

"Yep, all of us can see that," Haruka replied with a smile. "So I... decided to work harder, too..."

Haruka leaned as she yawned.

Being in the same friend group, Haruka and I have known each other for a long time now. She's always been the one to do things at her own pace and that trait of hers affects everyone in the Ayanokouji group. It's the reason why all of us get to have the most fun out of every hangout, no matter what we do. It doesn't matter whether it's karaoke, shopping, or studying. If Haruka's with us, things would never get stale.

As the girl who didn't really want to get involved with a lot of people, Haruka really took care of the ones she recognized as friends.

That's why I really admire her behavior today. Haruka took an extra step to do more than what she is expected to do. She put in the effort to quickly finish her own tasks in order to go around and lend the others a helping hand. Those were the words of Hirata, who looked after the class while I was away.

Haruka voluntarily went out of her comfort zone for the sake of Class B.

I'm sure she found a way to make it fun for herself, but physically, it must've been very demanding. When the night fell, Haruka was also one of the night watchers. So her body must be extremely tired at this point.

"You're too worn out, Haruka. I think you should go to sleep now."

Haruka didn't respond to my words. Her weight became even more pronounced against my body. That's when I realized that she was already fast asleep.

"You shouldn't have forced yourself, idiot Haruka," I muttered while glancing at the sleeping girl beside me.

What should I do in this situation? Should I gently wake her up? Should I carry her back to the girls' tent?

Haruka's head comfortably leaned itself on my shoulders while my mind was having a little panic attack.

*Yawn*...

Before I knew it, the dizziness also slowly crept up to me. Before I resigned myself to sleep, I took off my jacket and put it over Haruka's upper body. I hope either of us gets to wake up before anyone else does. Even I am aware that this current blend of situations was a recipe for disaster.