Classroom of the Elite (LN) - Vol 14 Chapter 3.4: Travel Companion, Part 4
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Vol 14 Chapter 3.4: Travel Companion, Part 4

Volume 14, Chapter 3: Travel Companion, Part 4

By the time we finished eating dinner, the sun had already set into the night. It was just around 8:00 PM, and we were all freely passing the time on our own. This freedom came with limitations, however, as it wouldnt exactly be a wise choice to go on a stroll through the surrounding forest in the dark like this. There were mosquitos upon mosquitos out there, so we were essentially forced to stay cooped up in our tents.

Given that, we naturally began conversing through the mesh fabric of our protective barriers.

Nanase, Ike, and I all had our tents set up in a row. Honds tent was set up directly across from Nanases with Suds right beside it.

So Nanase-chans in Class D, huh? I never wouldda guessed.

Hond seemed pretty happy to be talking with a girl, seeing as he was the one asking Nanase the most questions out of all of us.

No no. Im really not a very capable person Class D seems like an appropriate place for me.

Eh? No way. If anything, were the incapable ones here, aint that right guys?

Hond burst out in laughter alone, amused by his joke, but Suds expression remained rigid. He was laying down on his back, staring at the roof of his tent without even trying to join in on the conversation. And while I couldnt see what Ike was doing, he didnt seem to be genuinely engaged with the conversation either since he wasnt doing much more than passively comment on what was being said from time to time.

The atmosphere feels down in the dumps. Kanji, Ken, whats with you guys?

Nothin really. But lemme warn ya Rytar Nanase aint trustworthy.

Wha? Whys that?

Hond pressed his face up against the mesh screen of his tent and stared straight at Sud, shocked about what his peer was saying about such a cute underclassman.

No reason, really. Just stating a fact.

And whats that supposed to mean!?

Its okay Hond-senpai. I did something rather rude to Sud-senpai in the past, thats all.

Rude? So its not cuz he tried to touch you inappropriately or somethin?

You think Id do somethin like that?

Even though he had somehow come up with the idea himself, Hond immediately realized the flaw in his logic after hearing Suds response.

Well, it is true that youve always been devoted to Horikita. But like, what the hell happened then?

Its not somethin you need to know about.

Sud shifted around so that his back was turned to the entrance. Hsen Kazuomi of Class 1-D had done something truly unforgivable to the girl Sud loved. And, the one who had colluded with him was none other than Nanase herself. From Suds perspective, as someone who knew all the details, it made perfect sense for him to be wary of her. If Horikita were here, she probably wouldve said the same thing. Hond probably wasnt fully satisfied, but since Nanase herself said it was fine, he didnt really have the right to keep pressing Sud about it.

Well, alright then I guess But Kanjis been pretty out of it this whole time.

O-oh, uh, I same old same old, ya know?

Ike began to panic, having suddenly become the topic of the conversation.

Same old same old my ass. This is a good chance so Ill just come out and say it: somethings been up with you since before the exam even began.

Sud took the words right out of my mouth. Youve been really out of it man.

Sud readjusted his posture to face toward us once again, clearly interested in where the conversation was headed.

Whatre you guys saying? L-look, theres this whole uninhabited island exam, and like I mean, Im just under a lot of stress cuz theres a chance I might get expelled. Thats all.

Stress? Yeah right. Werent you super pumped back when we first heard about this exam?

Ike had plenty of camping experience, and he even played an active, important role during last years island exam. His close friends were well aware of this too, so there was no way theyd let him get out of this with an excuse like that.

Well, erm Thats uh, but like

Hearing as Ike incoherently struggled to put together a response, Nanase looked over at his tent and spoke.

Even though weve only just met, I also got the impression that you were rather lacking in spirit.

What do you think Ayanokji?

Hond asked me for my opinion, prompting me to break my silence.

Given the flow of the conversation so far, itd probably be the most natural to just be honest and agree with them.

Its been on my mind since we first met up earlier today.

See? All four of us managed to pick up on it.

Ike had been pushed into a corner, left only to stammer as he tried to come up with a solid excuse.

Earlier, Ayanokji-senpai told me that you and Hond-senpai are the type of people who add a lot to the class atmosphere. But, so far, it just seems to me like your mind is somewhere else entirely Is something troubling you, Ike-senpai?

In all likelihood, Ike was probably shocked that Nanases words had hit the nail right on the head even though she knew nothing about what had happened.

Uhm, how do I put it

Ike frantically tried to find the right words.

Cmon, if youre bothered by something just come out with it.

Its prolly not a big deal anyway.

Despite being two of his closest friends, they both seemed to think that Ikes troubles would end up being trivial.

And because of that, they just wanted him to come out with it already.

However, their approach only seemed to make Ike more reluctant to speak.

Just forget about it

Could you two please hold off and give him a moment?

After hearing Ikes dejected response, Nanase quietly whispered to Sud and Hond.

For a moment, Sud seemed indignant and offended, upset that Nanase had even asked, but once he took a look at Ikes troubled expression, he realized that his friend might be going through something worse than he had been making it out to be.

Theres no need for us to hold off, Nanase-chan. In the end its probably nothin big.

No. It might be a bit too early to say that Rytar. Lets try waitin.

Eh? A-ah Well I guess we can try.

Reading the room had never been one of Suds strong points. From the look of it, however, he had gradually picked up on how to pay attention to his surroundings and notice the subtle nuances of a situation. This was probably yet another byproduct of Horikitas teachings over the last year.

The four of us quietly watched over Ike, making sure not to make him feel pressured to speak. Of course, it wouldnt be easy for Ike to speak in a situation like this, but at the same time, he wouldnt be able to turn tail and run away. We simply needed to wait for him to feel ready on his own.

Eventually, after about ten minutes of silence, Ike made up his mind and began to open up.

To be honest Theres a girl Ive had my eye on for a while now.

Surprised, Sud and Hond turned and looked at each other through the screens of their tents.

Hond then became very animated, excited about the sudden emergence of such an interesting topic.

What!? Who!? Who is it!?

Lets wait until Ike-senpai feels ready to tell us himself.

Nanase gently intervened, looking to stop Hond from hounding Ike with questions.

It was difficult to imagine that his current mental state had come about simply because he had a crush on someone. To that end, there had to be something else that had happened afterward to make him turn out like this. Nanase probably understood this as well.

H-hey but like, youve gotta dive in head-first with this kinda stuff!

How about you calm down and wait to hear what Ike-senpai has to say? Instead of worrying about who he likes, dont you think that its more important to find out how it relates to the matter at hand? Or am I wrong?

Nanases words were calm, yet firm, bringing Hond screeching to a halt.

I-I guess youre right.

Upon being rebuked by his underclassman, Hond seemed to realize that he was being tactless and awkwardly scratched at the back of his head.

The girl I like

Once Ike began to speak, the two boys definitely let their imaginations run wild.

Was she in our school year? A senpai? Or was she one of the new students?

And, if she was in our school year, was she a classmate?

Popular, attractive girls like Kushida or Ichinose were no doubt the first to come to mind.

The girl I like is uhm Sh-Shinohara Shinohara Satsuki.

When they finally heard the name, for a moment it seemed like Sud and Hond were genuinely unable to process it.

After all, to them, Ike and Shinohara must seem like nothing more than classmates who butt heads with each other.

She wasnt exactly the best-looking girl out there either, so their confusion was perfectly understandable, given how much Ike had boasted about his plans to go out with a cute girl.

B-but Kanji, like Youre on bad terms with Shinohara right? Youre always talkin about how crazy ugly she is.

Hond asked, unable to stop himself from pointing out what seemed to be the most glaring problem with the idea.

Its not like Ive been conscious of her from the start or anything. Hell, I hated her at first. But I dunno why, but at some point I started caring about her and, well I guess I didnt wanna admit it to myself, so just went along pretending that I hadnt fallen for her.

He probably wasnt lying when he said this. It was a natural scene for those of us who were forced to listen to Ike and Shinoharas daily bickering sessions back in the classroom.

I mean, if you like Shinohara, then why dont you just go confess to her?

Sud offered a blunt, somewhat crude suggestion, but Ike replied with a tone of despair.

Its just not that simple. Not anymore.

Did something happen, Ike-senpai?

Shinohara is in a group together with Komiya right now. That guy probably likes her too.

At this point, Hond and Sud finally began to get a grasp of what was happening.

Plus, well it seems like she sees him as someone special as well.

A boy and a girl who were conscious of each other, working together in the same group to get through all of this. This exam was a crucial battle with our futures at the school hanging in the balance, so the conditions were perfect for the formation of close bonds and strong feelings that werent there before.

I I only realized that I was fallin in love with Shinohara a little while ago So when this exam came around, I wanted to group up with her more than anything. But I just couldnt be freaking honest about it so we started fightin like we always do Its pathetic This whole time, Ive just been searching for her

Ike had been distracted for a while now; His eyes had been searching, chasing after a glimpse of Shinoharas shadow.

Maybe I just got the wrong idea at some point, thinking she liked me somehow even though we argue so much Im such a loser. Even now Ive got no idea what I shouldda done differently.

There would always be times when you wonder if the feelings you have are mutual, just as Ike had. But even so, it was impossible for anybody to truly know the feelings of the other party.

This was something I had experienced firsthand back when I confessed to Kei.

Cant you just be honest with her, Ike-senpai? I dont necessarily think thatd be a bad thing.

Nanase shared her thoughts after hearing out what Ike had to say.

But Shinoharas together with that Komiya guy while Im here in the friendzone.

Im not so certain about that. This is just a guess, but dont you think Shinohara-senpai has just been waiting for you to draw the line?

Draw the line?

From what Ive been told, youre someone whos always bright and cheerful to everyone. Someone who often speaks whats on your mind. Of course, Im sure that Shinohara-senpai has a high opinion of you in this regard as well. That said, dont you think she might wish she could be someone a little more special to you?

He often freely spoke what was on his mind, or put in other words, he often spoke without thinking.

Dont you think maybe she wants you to be more upfront about your feelings?

It was already a well-established fact that Ike had feelings for Shinohara.

And at the same time, I felt pretty confident that Shinohara had feelings for Ike as well.

Yet, Ike constantly argued with her, sometimes even going so far as to make fun of her. He treated her no differently than one of his male friends.

However, that alone probably wasnt enough for her, just like Nanase said.

I

Ike-senpai, would you be happy if the girl you liked never took you seriously? Theres nothing wrong with trying to hide your embarrassment, but you wont get anywhere if you dont convey your feelings to her. Wouldnt you want her to look at you a little more seriously as well?

You could gain new insight by looking at it from the other persons perspective.

How would it make you feel if the special someone who was always on your mind constantly spoke ill of you, day-in and day-out?

Dammit.

Ike hung his head and held his face in his hands. Right now, he was probably recalling memories of how he had treated Shinohara in the past and putting himself in her shoes, doing his best to understand how his actions had made her feel. Or no, given his reaction, he had probably already understood.

Feeling troubled about this isnt a bad thing, per se, but youre currently in the midst of a special exam where your future here is at stake. You wouldnt be the only one expelled either; Your actions could very well drag Sud-senpai and Hond-senpai down along with you. I fully understand the feeling of wanting to go chasing after Shinohara-senpai, I do, but you should focus on fighting for survival first.

Before I knew it, everyone present had been mesmerized by Nanase words.

After all, she had responded to Ikes woes far more sincerely than even his own best friends, but that wasnt the only reason.

If you cant meet If you can never reunite with someone you care about then youll never ever be able to let them know you love them again!

There was no need to look at her expression. Just the sound of her voice alone was more than enough to make it clear.

Y-you, why are you crying?

Despite his lasting distrust of Nanase, Sud spoke up in a panic.

Ike-senpai, you dont have the time to be feeling caught up in your troubles, wouldnt you agree?

Suds question went unanswered as Nanase posed Ike one of her own, completely disregarding the fact that tears were streaming down her own face.

Yeah. Ive gotta get through this exam safely first right?

Nanases words, the words of a here-before stranger and underclassman, had touched Ikes heart more than any of us couldve expected.

Ken, Rytar, Im sorry guys. I Ive prolly troubled you two a heck of a lot these past two days, havent I?

Ike expressed his remorse, to which Sud

No, you havent Eh, well, maybe just a lil bit.

He wasnt able to get himself to say that there hadnt been any problems, but that was probably for the best.

To be honest, Im still anxious about Shinohara. But that wont matter anyway if I dont get through the exam first. All my worrying, all this time Ive spent, everything wouldda been in vain if we dont pass.

Eyy, attaboy Kanji!

Hond agreed, shouting out so as to rally everyones spirit.

Sometimes friends could be a nuisance, but in other cases they could be truly irreplaceable.

I felt like this was my lesson, my takeaway from what had happened tonight.

And as for the tears Nanase had shed, my gut was telling me that it hadnt been a mere performance, nor had it been the result of her getting caught up in the atmosphere.