The True Elites

Chapter 5-4: Our New Classes

Ayanokōji's POV

Two days after the announcement of the upcoming all-grade sports festival, us first years were assigned the extra task of participating in a ballot to determine the temporary relocations of the Class B students.

As the elected plenipotentiary of Class B, I, along with four other students, were required to attend a meeting at the student council room in a few minutes.

After holding talks with Sakayanagi, I had managed to come to an agreement with her. As the one who was present for the negotiations, it was only natural that I, who was most familiar with what was said, was also chosen to go and complete the ballots for Class B.

However, due to the risk that Class A has to undertake as a result of the element of randomness involved in the selection, Sakayanagi had also required me to do a bonus favour for her during the time of the sports festival itself in exchange for her requirement.

Truly, what a devious woman. She was an excellent negotiator; equipped with a good understanding of what each side values and seeks, Sakayanagi Arisu was able to get as much as possible out of a given negotiation without pushing the other person to leave the table.

Honestly, could easily have been a candidate to join Class B herself. However, it seemed like the school had deliberately left at least one student with the ability to lead in each of the other classes: Sakayanagi, Katsuragi, Ichinose and Ryūen are all examples of this.

The only outlier is Class E, which doesn't appear to contain any students who you could call a natural leader.

As the ballot is undergoing, updates are posted on the school forums. I'm sure that the other guys are together, keeping tabs on it in this very moment.

When I arrived at the designated location, I was met with nearly everybody already present.

It seemed like Sakayanagi, who had claimed to already possess a majority of support within Class A, had indeed managed to secure the role of Class Representative for herself. She looked as dignified as ever, her cane in her right hand and a smug smile stuck to her face.

Ichinose Honami, who was widely regarded the most beautiful girl in our school year, waited patiently with a pleasant expression. I recalled Ryuzaki's advice to her back on the island; that she wasn't a 'true' leader, but more of a supportive glue that holds a class together. Despite taking those words into consideration, it seemed like Ichinose was still acting as the representative for her class.

Ryūen Kakeru stood out like a sore thumb amongst the two girls. His appearance was anything but elegant; he towered over Sakayanagi in terms of height, and his build gave off the vibe of strength and function, as opposed to one of elegance and vanity.

The man in question seemed to be the first to notice my arrival. He looked over with an amused expression. "Ayanokōji, huh? I was wondering which one of you bastards would show up."

It is certainly true that, among Class B students, there were a few who could've been equally fitting for this role. However, the circumstances had led to me being the obvious choice.

"Hello, Ayanokōji-kun," Ichinose waved to me with a bright smile.

"Ichinose, it's good to see you," I replied.

Ichinose was always pleasant to interact with. Even though it was unintentional, her presence dominated the atmosphere wherever she went. It suffocated the violent and uneasy feeling that Ryūen usually caused within those around him, replacing it with a serene and warm sensation.

There were still ten minutes to go until the scheduled time, which meant that we were forced to wait patiently outside the room. I wasn't the only one who'd thought it'd be better to be punctual, as evident from the fact that many had arrived before me.