Classroom Of The Elite

Chapter 3

Even though people said this place was tough, the entrance ceremony was the same as any other school's. Some important people offered words of thanks, and the ceremony concluded without incident. Then, it was noon. After we received some general information about the campus, the crowd dispersed.

70-80 percent of the students headed toward the dormitories. The remaining students quickly formed into groups. Some made their way to cafes, while the louder ones went out for karaoke. The hustle and bustle quickly died down. On a whim, I decided to swing by the convenience store on my way back to the dormitory. Of course, I went alone. I didn't have a chaperone, or acquaintance, or anyone like that.

"My, what an unpleasant coincidence."

Entering the convenience store, I ran into Horikita once again.

"Come on, there's no need to be so hostile. Anyway, did you need to buy something?" I asked.

"Yes, just a few things. I came to get some necessities." There was no shortage of things you needed when starting life in a dorm, especially if you were a girl. Horikita took various necessities like shampoo off the shelves and promptly threw them into the basket she was carrying. I'd thought she would choose higher quality items, but she only

took the cheapest options. "I thought girls usually made a fuss over what kind of shampoo they

bought." "Well, that depends on the person, doesn't it? I'm the sort who doesn't

know when you might need money," she replied. She shot me an icy glare that seemed to say, Could you please not inspect other people's purchases without their permission?

"At any rate, I was terribly surprised that you stayed for introductions," she said. "You didn't look like the type to hang out with a circle of classmates."

"I decided to participate precisely because I don't like trouble. Why didn't you introduce yourself to them, Horikita? You could have gotten to know several other students, and it would have been a chance to make friends."

Quite a few of the students had exchanged cell numbers, too. If Horikita had participated, she would probably have become quite popular. What a waste.

"There are several reasons why I objected, but I suppose it might be better if I simply explain, hmm? My introduction might have sown discord. depending on how things went. Thus, doing nothing avoided creating more problems, Am I wrong?"

"But, statistically speaking, there was a high probability that you could have hit it off with everyone after introducing yourself," I said.

"How did you arrive at that conclusion? Actually, if I argue this with you now, we'll just end up in an endless debate. Let's say that the probability of making friends was high, like you said. So, how many people did you get

to know?"

"Ugh..."

She gazed at me.

That was a rather splendid argument. The fact that I hadn't yet exchanged contact information with anyone worked in Horikita's favor. It proved there was no guarantee that introductions led to friendship. I instinctively averted my eyes.

"In other words, you have no evidence to support your claim that self- introductions lead to making friends, do you?" she asked. "Besides, I never intended to make friends in the first place. If I have no need to introduce myself, then I also have no reason to listen to anyone else's introductions. Have I convinced you?"

That reminded me of the disastrous first time I'd tried to introduce myself to Horikita. Come to think of it, it might have been a miracle that I'd managed to get her name.