Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

Vol. 4.5: Chapter 8.1 - Are They Temporary?

I just spent the whole time gaming and reading with my friends yesterday. Ijuuin's room was a sacred haven of consumable content. Of course, Professor also had a hand in funding their entertainment. The books, CDs, and games were bought by Ijuuin while the consoles and devices were bought by Professor. As for me, I'm proud to say that I receive special treatment from the two of them. "How?" you ask?

Well you see, private points don't grow from trees. Despite the surplus in our allowance, they vowed to never go broke. That's where their "business" comes in. Manga, light novels, game consoles, etc-- everything was bought by the two of them. So, they gave everyone who was willing to pay the option to "borrow" their merchandise for a considerably lower price. The customers were also forced to handle everything with care. One small scratch equals buying the whole thing. If the damage was internal, Professor would confirm as to who was at fault. Of course, every purchase was backed by a solid contract with detailed conditions, so no one would argue with them for the sake of cheating the business.

You might've guessed where this is going by now. Being an exception, I was allowed to borrow everything for free. We liked hanging out with each other, and since I never really took advantage of their kindness, I maintained a very friendly relationship with them. Of course, only the three of us knew about this. On the surface, Ike and Yamauchi were probably closer friends with them, but even they had to pay. If the truth comes out, it would cause some headaches.

*Bzzt*

While reminiscing about the fun I had yesterday, a notification suddenly came in.

"How timely... Well, my arrival was pretty timely." I muttered, taking my drenched shirt off.

After my daily jog, I entered my room at exactly 6:00 AM. That's when I received a message from my friend and classmate, Horikita Suzune. 

The content of her message? Well, she didn't even say anything. It's just a phone number. That's it. She's telling me to contact whoever this person is, I assume.

"Oh, finally, some context," I muttered after seeing another text come in.

(6:01) [ASAP.]

She sent four capital letters from the English Alphabet telling me to hurry up. 

Uh, okay...? I think that's enough context...? Well, for now, I guess I'll give this person a call.

"Woah-!" I reflexively muttered as soon as the other end picked up. My call was answered very fast which would make sense if the receiver was waiting for it.

"Is this Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?"

I frowned after easily recognizing his voice. It was none other than Horikita Manabu-- Horikita Suzune's older brother, my senior, and the Student Council President.

"Oh... It's you..."

"I didn't expect you to call me this early."

"You didn't expect my call, but you picked up instantly?"

"I'm always on standby for any calls, even on summer vacation," he replied.

"Okay...? By the way, did you need something from me?"

"Yes, that is indeed that case. I didn't want to cause any unnecessary disturbances so I asked Suzune to give you my number. That way, you can just call me whenever you're available. Of course, I would've needed you to contact me sometime today," he elaborated. "No matter. I'm just repeating myself at this point. I already explained everything to Suzune when I gave her my instructions. I wonder if she was able to relay everything to you?"

"Oh yeah, she did an amazing job with relaying everything. It's the reason why I'm calling you right now, no?" My tone was supposed to be sarcastic, but I don't think this guy picked up on it.

That said, Horikita honestly did a phenomenal job. If she gave me the entirety of her brother's instructions, I might've been too lazy to even entertain the idea of contacting him.

"I see. Then I would need you to come to the student council tomorrow. Today is the last day of the renovation, so the place will be functional by that time. I'll work my schedule around your arrival so we can have a lengthy discussion."

"Can't you just tell me everything on the phone? I'd want to avoid a lengthy discussion more than anything."

"I'm afraid that's not possible. The matters that I would like to discuss with you shouldn't be taken lightly." The tone of his voice got heavier.

"What is it, anyway?"

"Let's just say that it involves your desire to have a peaceful high school life. Depending on how things develop, your solace might not last."

 At that moment, I finally decided to stop fooling around with my words. 

"I see... Alright, you got me. I'll go... Is this afternoon fine? I don't really care about the location."

"Unfortunately, my schedule is packed for today. The school is busy preparing for the interschool sports tournament at the end of the month. Let's continue this conversation tomorrow."

"I understand. I'll be there in the morning."

After hanging up, I immediately showered, changed clothes, and had breakfast. Horikita Manabu's enigmatic words rang inside my head.

"Your solace might not last."

"I know that more than anyone. Thinking about it now, living a peaceful life, in general, was supposed to be nothing but a pipe dream for someone like me..."

But that won't stop me from trying to obtain it, no matter how improbable.

It just barely passed 7 o'clock when I decided to contact Horikita.

"Hello?"

"What was that about?"

"Did you call him?" she asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "He said he wanted to talk to me in person. Do you have any idea about what he wants?"

"No. Nii-san gave me some instructions to have you contact him, but he didn't really give me any details about what he wanted from you, exactly."

"I see... That's too bad. He said I had to wait until tomorrow if I wanted to know," I sighed.

"Hmm... You're usually so dismissive when it comes to him, but you sound awfully fervent about this." Horikita's tone was laced with curiosity.

"I guess so. He said some interesting things that caught my attention."

"What interesting things?"

It's about getting my peaceful life disrupted or something. I could easily tell her the truth, but I didn't. Horikita didn't need to know about any of these given her current position. I'm fairly certain that this would be a personal problem that I should deal with alone.

"Well, maybe I can tell you about it when I'm done talking with your brother."

"I see. So, is that all?"

"Yeah, thanks."

I stayed in bed after ending the call. I also decided to stay inside my room for today. It's not like I made any plans. I'd probably just end up watching anime or reading manga. That said, I'm too lazy to do anything right now.

At that moment, a smirk might've appeared on my face.

"The fact that I could actually afford to get lazy-- what a luxury."

I felt free, I felt alive. And now that Horikita and Hirata hold the positions of class leaders, I was also at peace. 

Were these things temporary? In the grand scheme of things, that may be the case. But I can't be wrong in wanting to prolong them as much as I can.