Classroom of the Elite: Free Will

V8: Chapter 2 - Groups

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka POV

The bus got off the highway and began to drive up the paved mountain road. I wondered why our school outings always took place in nature, like this location or the ocean.

At any rate, a new special exam was about to begin. Given they were confiscating our phones, this was certainly going to be that annoying kind of test you had to gather information either on your own or by using your connections. And, since more information would be leaked the more carelessly you acted, prudence and discretion would be vital.

"I'm not cut out for this..." I muttered, letting my honest thoughts slip forth.

No matter how many special exams we went through, I just couldn't get used to them. Cooperating with other people wasn't something I was used to.

"We will arrive shortly," Chabashira said. "Once there, you will form your groups. Then, as soon as room assignments have been completed, you will have lunch, followed by free time in the afternoon."

"That means... Yay! We don't have to study!" Ike beamed.

True, but this wasn't a vacation. It was a school day. Even taking the travel time into account, it was odd that they were letting us off the hook this afternoon—it felt almost like a normal field trip.

The bus pulled into the stop and slowed to a halt.

"When your name is called, hand over your phone and get off the bus. Ayanokouji. Ike—"

Chabashira started with the boys, calling our names in syllabary order. I put my phone in a plastic box that sat next to our teacher. As I disembarked from the bus, an unfamiliar teacher approached, instructing us to wait a short distance away from the bus.

"Dude, it's cold!" shouted Ike, hugging himself tightly. Probably because we were in the mountains. It was certainly colder here than at school.

However, the sight before us made us forget the cold for a moment.

"Whoa. What is this place? This seems a lot for a 'school camp'..."

Enormous grounds spread out before us, with some extremely old-fashioned school buildings visible in the distance. Our home for the next week. They were huge, probably because they had to accommodate the students of all three grade levels.

It felt similar to the test on the uninhabited island. As with that test, I really didn't have much experience living out in the wilds like this. People like Ike, who had been a boy scout, were going to be useful here. So would those like Sudou with their physical strength.

The girls filed off the bus next. Suzune seemed to be discussing something with Airi, Haruka and Onodera, surely regarding the repartition of the girls in our class into the different groups.

The boys and girls each headed for our respective school buildings, with the boys being directed to the larger one, referred to as the main building. Once inside, I found my nostrils tickled by the nostalgic scent of the wood-panelled interior.

"This really is a traditional wooden school building, isn't it? It's old, but still beautiful. It must be exceptionally well maintained," said Yousuke. Everyone else agreed.

Along the way, we saw what appeared to be a classroom. There was no air conditioning, only a single stove placed in the centre of the room. We'd most likely be having classes from tomorrow in rooms like that.

Finally, we arrived at what seemed like a gymnasium. The guys from Class A and Class B, who were already there, looked over our way. The Class D students showed up right after us, so the second- and third-year students were probably on their way in next. We were ordered to form a line and await further instruction.