Chapter- 22
Hiyori's POV
It was our last night in the open school. Each night we gathered together, right after a warm, cleansing bath, right before the call of slumber; like children that gathered round the roaring fire to listen to the stories of their nattering grandparents.
The cover of the night leaves soon. The children, being grown-up, leaves. Fairy tales becomes a thing of memory. And just like that, the distance between the girls have grown wider the past two days.
In the centre, Sakayanagi-san sat on her chair, surrounded by a flock of girls from Class A and Class B. They chattered, giggled, smiled – they socialised seamlessly, as if plucking out any differences, any prejudices from themselves with masterful ease. It was deserving of applause; indeed it was, for it was so unlike us — Class C and Class D. A wide chasm parted two sorts of students – backs racking with laughter, and shoulders heaving down with melancholy. Was this it, the clear divide between the elites and the dregs of society? Comparison, truly, heightens this terrible superiority.
Propped on a chair beside Ibuki, my attention on a book held in my hand was out somewhere else, like a reflection forever plucked out from a mirror. Ichinose-san and Mei-san were studying on their bed. Kushida-san in particular has distanced herself from most of us. She didn't interact much with Ichinose-san or Horikita-san. She used to interact with us a lot, but now I only see her eyes brimming with scepticism. It seems that the battle between 'X' and Ryuuen had destroyed far more than what met my eyes.
She must be having a hard time thinking about 'X'... well, I'm no different.
"Sakayanagi-san, you're the smartest person I know." Hitomi-san from Class A complimented the leader of her enemy class.
"Fufu, I'm flattered."
"Do you know who 'X' might be? Ryuuen was after 'X' but he is nowhere to be seen now." The curious Hitomi inquired.
"I have a bad feeling discussing this..." Ando-san said in an uneasy tone.
"According to my friends, last night Ryuuen had declared that he would crush 'X'... apparently both of them clashed, and now you can see the result." Sakayanagi mentioned the obvious. Her goal wasn't to answer Hitomi in first place. "Horikita-san, maybe you can tell us what kind of person 'X' is?"
"Not this again, Sakayanagi-san. We've been over this, I've nothing to tell you about them."
"Fufufu, it's alright. I merely like to tease you."
Horikita-san went back to her work, avoiding any further conversation on the matter.
"Ibuki-san, you're pretty close to Ryuuen-kun. Maybe he told you the true identity of 'X'? Or did he go down without even decoding that much?"
"Tch.." Her next target was Ibuki-san, but no matter how irritated she felt, she avoided a conversation with Sakayanagi.
I had strictly forbidden her to do so. Or else, before she knew, she would leak out information on our part.
For a moment, I saw Ichinose-san raise her head from her notebook. Her eyes meandered throughout the room. Eventually, my gaze met her meandering visage. Eyes gleaming brightly with the colour of summer joy, now a thing of the past. In its rightful place, specks of despondency peppered her expression.
The regret and her sombre expression deeply troubled me.
Maybe it would've been better if I just read my books.
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Hiyori's POV (Next morning the day of final exam)
YOU ARE READING
Seen Through the Eyes of Goodwill
FanfictionA fiction story from the LN series, Classroom of the Elite. Ichinose Honami originally from Class B was allotted in Class D when the school began. In a so called class full of defects Ichinose faces different challenges which the school offers to n...
