Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

"It's getting pretty hot..."

Summer comes with the blazing heat of the sun. I can't really say much. That's just how it is during this season. I opted to go out in casual clothes, but apart from exposing more of my skin to the sun, nothing too drastic has changed.

"Let's eat here!"

"Okay, let's go!"

"I love this place!"

A group of senior girls happily passed by me as they went inside a restaurant in Keyaki Mall. They were all wearing summer clothes. People flooded the entire place mainly because we're in the heat of vacation, no pun intended. Students donning their casual wear could be seen anywhere I looked. I could only stand aside and observe them for now.

"Ah, you're here~!"

"Ohh, are those new clothes?"

Two girls called out as they approached me. They were classmates and close friends of mine— Azuma Sana and Ichihashi Ruri.

"You can tell if it's new?"

"Girls have that ability. Didn't you know?" Ichihashi smirked in response.

I shook my head helplessly.

"You look good on it, though."

"Both of you look great, too," I returned the compliment.

I don't really have a great sense of fashion, and I didn't have time to buy my own clothes yesterday. That said, my savior, Hirata-sama, offered to buy me a set since he went out shopping with some friends in the afternoon. It's a good thing that the two of us have a similar build and I'm glad I let him do my bidding for this one.

"So you're the first one that arrived, huh? I'm sure they'll be here soon, though." Azuma looked around with a hum. "Ah-! Speak of the devil, there they are!"

It didn't take long before three more people came along. There were two guys and a girl— Kikuchi Eita, Sugarawa Kazuto, and Nishimura Ryuuko.

(Head to the A/N section for Sugawara and Kikuchi's tentative illustrations.)

"Yo," waved Sugawara.

"I thought you'd still be asleep today, Ayanokouji." Kikuchi slightly nudged my side.

"I considered that idea."

"Of course, you did." 

I was actually invited to hang out with them last night, and I wouldn't really decline any invitations without a proper reason.

Our plans for today? Karaoke.

I managed to dodge this bullet on far too many occasions. It's finally time for me to pay my dues...

————————————————————————

Inside the air-conditioned room, Azuma and Ichihashi started things off with a duet. Well, the song wasn't really supposed to be sung by two people, but they said it's their perk for singing first. Kikuchi got everyone's requests and ordered the food, while Ryuuko, Sugawara, and I cheered and chatted.

"♪ Sora wo oshi agete ♪ 

♪ Te wo nobasu kimi go-gatsu no koto ♪

♪ Douka kite hoshii ♪"

"I'm surprised you accepted their invitation," said Ryuuko.

Even if I was never explicit about it, I'm sure everyone felt that I didn't like karaoke, so her comment was reasonable.

"Yeah," followed Sugawara. "Kikuchi and I didn't really have our hopes up when we invited you, but hey, what a pleasant surprise."

"Well, I ought to try it out at least once," I responded with a shrug.

Kikuchi approached us with a smile. I'm sure he understood what we just talked about even though he was ordering the food— along with the fact that Ichihashi and Azuma were singing passionately. 

"We vowed to never blabber about you saying yes," he said.

"Huh? Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? If the girls in our class find out that you finally accepted an invitation for karaoke, they'd probably cancel their plans just to join us." Sugawara answered my question with an exhausted look.

"Oh..."

I'm sure that's an exaggeration but...

"♪ Kimi to suki na hito ga

Hyakunen tsuduki masu you ni. ♪"

"Woohoo, way to go, Ichihashi, Azuma!" cheered Sugawara.

"The two of you sang very well." Ryuuko complimented their singing with a smile.

"Ahaha, oh you~..." Azuma jokingly received her praise while blushing.

"Your turn, Ryuuko." Ichihashi passed the mic to her.

"E-Ehh... Well, I guess I can go next."

"Ohh, do your best, Nishimura-san," cheered Kikuchi.

Sugawara and I mirror his cheer while clapping.

"♪ I love you ♪

♪ Ima dake wa kanashii uta kikitakunai yo ♪"

"After her, it will be your turn, Ayanokouji," said Sugawara.

"That's fine. It's better to finish my suffering early."

"Ohh, how brave." Kikuchi leaned back with a smirk.

Azuma, who was cheering for Ryuuko suddenly looked at him to ask a question.

"We were all surprised that Ayanokouji-kun came with us today, but that also goes for you, Kikucchin."

"Oh, right. Don't you have any plans with Nene?" asked Ichihashi.

"Hmm, I think she's going out with Karuizawa-san and the others today. I'm not too sure, though."

"You're surprisingly laid back." Azuma tried to tease him. "You never know... She might actually be hanging out with other boys."

"Why wouldn't I be laid back? It's not like she's my girlfriend or anything. If she's hanging out with other guys, I'm not in any place to throw a tantrum. Worrying about it now would just spoil my day, so I'd rather get jealous on my own once I get back." Kikuchi smilingly shrugged her words off.

The maturity in his words never fails to mesmerize me. This was why Kikuchi was admired by the guys.

"You're awfully secure... What an eyesore..." joked Azuma.

"Aren't you the same, Sana-chan?" asked Ichihashi. "If we're talking about being laid back, you and Chiaki-chan would probably fit the bill the most."

"We're talking about romance here..." Azuma replied with a sigh.

"You know the worst part about that, Ichihashi? Both of them are academic achievers. It pisses me off," followed Sugawara.

"Now that I think about it, your grades are pretty excellent," I said.

"Haha, a laid-back star student applies to you too, Ayanokouji. A very enviable position." The relaxed Kikuchi retorted.

"Aren't you just discriminating against me at this point? It's just the vibe that I give. I led the class for four months, you know? I'm anything but laid back."

"Oho? But since you're stepping down as our class's leader, will you finally adopt the laid-back lifestyle?" asked Azuma.

"Yes," I nodded with a thumbs up.

"♪ Kanashii uta ni ♪

♪ Ai ga shirakete ♪

♪ Shimawanu you ni ♪"

"That was some great singing, Ryuuko!"

"Way to go, Nishimura-san!"

Ryuuko bashfully sat back.

"Great job out there," I said.

She turned to me with her usual smile.

"I heard you're next."

I just stood up and sighed in response. Alright, there's no going back now.

I chose a popular song that got even more popular due to an anime. I guess I'll be fine with singing that one.

The music started and I began reciting the lyrics in accordance with the tune.

"♪ Hiroi uchuu no kazu aru hitotsu ♪

♪Aoi Chikyuu no hiroi sekai de ♪"

I drowned my own voice with the music as my friends cheered for me. 

I started giving it some focus and felt time pass by.

————————————————————————

"Ahh, I'm full! I regret eating some snacks before going out," said Azuma.

It was almost time for us to leave. My friends sang a lot while I only sang three songs.

"You don't look full, Sana."

"Oh, don't flatter her, Ryuuko. She'd get annoyingly haughty if you compliment her figure," said Ichihashi.

"She does have a nice figure, though."

"Ehehe, thanks, Ryuuko~." Azuma scratched her cheek while chuckling like an old man. "I don't have big boobs, though."

"No one asked, Sana-chan." Ichihashi rolled her eyes.

"Shut it, Ruri. Just because your boobs are big doesn't mean I can't-"

"They're not! And stop talking about such an embarrassing topic."

Ryuuko just giggled while listening to their banter.

"Hmm~? Is it because some guys are around? Don't worry, they like overhearing these kinds of topics." Azuma turned to us with a teasing smile. "Am I right boys? Or is this too stimulating for you?"

"W-W-What-? N-No way!" Sugawara stammered whilst trying to deny her words.

"Dude..."

Kikuchi and I looked at him with saddened expressions.

"What?! Am I the weird one now? Aren't the two of you just acting abnormally calm?" 

"Huh? Well, I'm probably just used to hearing these things. I was close friends with a lot of girls back in junior high." Kikuchi seriously answered his question while munching on some fries.

"I guess I can say that I'm a bit similar."

It's only now that I'm in high school, though.

"Man... Curse you and your valuable experiences on the battlefield."

"It's fine, Sugawara-kun. Their reactions are boring, unlike yours. You get plus points for being amusing," smirked Azuma.

"Plus points because I'm easy to make fun of, huh? How depressing..."

My condolences, Sugawara.

"Ah, speaking of which, what's Kikyou-chan up to?" Ichihashi looked at me and Ryuuko.

At that moment, Kikuchi and Sugawara started chatting about a different topic.

"I actually have no idea," I replied, shaking my head.

"If I remember correctly, I think she's hanging out with Kokoro-chan and Mii-chan. I don't know where, though," answered Ryuuko.

"I see... I wonder if it's not a bother to call her later. I wanted to talk to her about something."

"It's Kikyou. I'm sure it'll be fine." Ryuuko dismissed her worries with a smile.

"Oh, right, Ayanokouji-kun. How's Sakura-chan doing with her photo contest?"

"I'm sure she made some progress. She even asked some advice from other people."

"Ehh, that's nice. I'm glad she's starting to crawl out of her shy shell."

"Photo contest?" Ryuuko tilted her head curiously.

Since Azuma and I were talking, Ichihashi answered the question for her.

"If I remember correctly, Sakura-chan entered a photo contest held by the Photography Club and the Student Council. She asked Sana-chan to be her subject with the theme being 'Summer'."

"Ohh, that's pretty nice. I'd love to see her entry."

"I'm sure the winner's entry will be put on display. If Sakura-chan wins, we'll see Sana-chan's picture on the main bulletin board at school."

"I hope she wins!"

"Yeah."

"She'd have more chances of winning if she asked Kushida-chan to be her subject instead of me, though..." Azuma chimed in on their conversation, dramatically putting on a sad face.

"You're just making advanced excuses once Sakura-chan loses because of you." Ichihashi teased her with a nudge.

"Agh-! How harsh."

"Airi told me that she just really likes your smile." There's also her goal of making a connection between Haruka and Ichihashi, but they don't need to know that.

"Aww, that's so sweet of her~."

At that moment, Azuma's phone vibrated from her pocket.

"Ah, what a coincidence! Sakura-chan told me that her entry was almost finished. She asked if I could come to her room tomorrow and take a look."

I read up on the rules for the contest. A large portion of the points was equally distributed for both the actual technique and photo manipulation. I don't know how experienced Airi was with photo editing, but with Professor's help, I'm sure she can pull through. 

"I'm really excited. You should go with me, Ruri."

"Sure, if Sakura-chan is okay with it."

"Oh, could you ask her if it's alright for me to come along? I want to see her work as well."

"Of course. If it's not a bother to her, then we can all go together."

At that moment, the two guys called for me.

"Hey, Ayanokouji, are you free tomorrow?" asked Sugawara.

"I think so. Why?"

"Ike and Miyamoto asked if we wanted to hang out. They probably want to play some multiplayer game again."

"I'm fine with going. How about you, Kikuchi?"

"I'll pass. I've got some work to do with Setsuya and Kiyoshi tomorrow."

Minami and Onizuka?

"If I remember correctly, you're all in the same tutor group with Yukimura. Are you planning to do your summer homework tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he shrugged. "It's a pain, but it'll be better for us in the long run. Our boss is really strict with his policies, too."

"That's Yukimura for you," chuckled Sugawara.

"How about you, Sugawara-kun? Our tutor might not have planned anything, but you can't delay your homework for too long, you know?"

Ryuuko addressed him with a concerned look. They were in the same group, after all.

"I-I know... I don't want to trouble Mii-chan, as well. It's just that, uhh, yeah, I'm just not in the mood yet. Ahaha..."

You don't sound convincing at all, dude.

"Sigh... Well, it's not like I can really say anything right now. I don't think any of us are in the mood to do school stuff anyway... Not after all of that."

Of course, all of us knew that she was talking about the special exams.

————————————————————————

The six of us finally decided to separate. The three girls planned to go to Keyaki Mall while the other two had some business in the commercial district. I'm the only one who chose to call it a day.

"See you next time, Ayanokouji-kun! You were great at singing!" said Azuma, sarcastically.

"Shut up."

"It wasn't that bad for your first time, though."

"Thanks."

"I get told off but Ryuuko gets a thank you?! Aren't you being too cold on me, Ayanokouji-kun?!"

"Now, now. I'm glad I could hang out with you guys today. I really had fun," said Ichihashi.

"Yeah, me too. We certainly formed some sort of ragtag group, but I had a great time, regardless." Kikuchi followed with a smile.

"Of course, the same goes for me," added Sugawara.

After heading back, I decided to finish all of my summer homework. That way, I can do more stuff without worrying about anything. I've gone out with my friends a lot during the weekends, but this one felt different due to my current position in the class. And to be honest, I don't dislike it at all.