Classroom of the Elite: Alter - Solace

(20:14) [Next Tuesday?]

(20:16) [Yes.]

(20:16) [Kokoro-chan's birthday is on the 24th, so I want to buy a gift as soon as now.]

(20:24) [Alright.]

(20:24) [I can come with you.]

(20:24) [It'd be nice to get some ideas since I also plan to buy her a gift.]

(20:25) [Okay!]

(20:25) [Let's go tomorrow.]

And after that, we agreed to meet up somewhere in Keyaki Mall. I waited for her arrival before noon because we also planned to eat lunch outside.

"Kiyotaka-kun~!"

The cheery Kikyou finally appeared. She wore a shawl-like pastel orange open blouse on top of a light lemon yellow one-piece dress with pink ends. It was a casual outfit that was perfect for shopping in the summer.

In a similar vein, I also wore casual clothes. It was different from what I wore the other day, but it'll do for today's trip to the mall.

"Hey."

With my horrendous attempt at making a cool reply, Kikyou and I finally met up to look for a birthday gift.

We were inside a shop that was clearly targeted towards the female demographic and lovey-dovey couples. Its pink interior emphasized this effect after seeing all the available products. From stuffed animals to keychains and cosmetics, this shop was the perfect place to buy gifts for a high school girl.

"Well, I'll be in your care."

"Leave it to me! I'm sure she'll like the present we'll choose for her."

A guy and a girl going out on a normal summer day. In other words, a date. Yeah, this probably counts as a date. Of course, this wasn't the first time I've gone out with Kikyou, so I should probably get used to it now.

All of the rewards from the special exams were scheduled to be distributed on the 1st of September, so it's good that we still had a lot of leftover private points to spend. Well, that's quite an understatement. The monthly allowance received by our class was already more than enough for any student.

"Hmm, I wonder what I should buy her~?"

"Does Inogashira like accessories, by any chance?"

"Well, she doesn't 'like' them per se, but if you decide to give her one, I'm sure she'd still appreciate it."

"I see... But I still think it would be better to give her something practical."

"Ah~! That's the route you're going for? Hmm... Then I recommend giving her this~!"

Kikyou reached out for a small item that was coincidentally on the aisle that we were checking out.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Oh, you don't know? This is called a lip balm. They protect your lips by preventing water loss."

I took the item and scrutinized the visible interior.

"So it contains some sort of moisturizing ingredient?"

"Yes! Like petroleum jelly or lanolin, for example."

I see. Girls really are particular about these things, huh? Though I guess men could also use it.

"Alright, I'll buy this. Thanks, Kikyou."

"You're welcome~."

Our shopping was pretty much uninterrupted because we didn't bump into anyone that we knew. The other customers at that time were all seniors. Well, that's what we initially believed before meeting a familiar face at the exit.

"Hm? Ayanokouji and Kushida?"

"Katsuragi-kun?"

Class A's Katsuragi Kouhei, donning a school uniform in this heat, arrived at the shop.

"Hey, Katsuragi-kun~! What are you doing here? Are you shopping for something, like a present for someone?"

His being here can't really mean too many things. I pretty much had the same thought as Kikyou.

"Yes, something like that," he nodded before eyeing the two of us. "Are you two on a date, perhaps? Ah, forgive me if I'm jumping to conclusions."

Kikyou looked at me with a smirk, refusing to answer.

"Well, we were doing some birthday gift shopping for a friend, but since we plan to eat and maybe hang out after, then I guess you could call it a date." I shrugged before returning the question to him. "How about you? Who are you buying a present for?"

"Hmm..." Katsuragi might not have expected me to answer properly, so he was doubtful about returning the favor.

"Is the question too personal? If so, then forget I asked."

He's always been a vigilant individual. I could understand why he'd refuse to answer my question.

"No, it's fine. You were kind enough to respond to my question, so it'd be rude if I didn't respond to yours," he sighed. "You see, I'm buying a birthday gift for my twin sister."

"Ohh, I didn't know you had a twin sister, Katsuragi-kun. Your birthday's on the 29th, right? Are you planning to celebrate it with any of your friends?" Kikyou asked enthusiastically.

"I don't really plan on celebrating my birthday." Katsuragi's facial expression turned grim as he continued. "That said, how did you even know that my birthday is on the 29th?"

"Ah, I asked for everyone's contact info back at the ship, right? You can see your birthdate on there." Kikyou swiftly grabbed her phone and showed him the screen after a couple of taps. "See?" 

Kikyou openly displayed her own contact information to Katsuragi without any regard for caution.

"I suppose that makes sense." Seeing Kikyou's reckless actions made Katsuragi drop his guard a bit. "Well then, I wouldn't want to get in your way. You too, Ayanokouji."

"Yeah, good luck with finding your sister a gift."

"Bye-bye, Katsuragi-kun!"

Kikyou and I walked out of the shop without much issue.

"See? I told you that we'd have no trouble shopping. It's better to get ourselves as hungry as possible before eating lunch!"

"Isn't that a dangerous mindset...?"

"I'm kidding, of course~!"

After having lunch, Kikyou and I went to see a movie. This time, however, we've decided to go for an anime movie.

"Hm? Wasn't this movie in cinemas last year?" mused Kikyou.

"Yeah. If I remember correctly, it was around Christmas."

I remember Professor mentioning that detail when he was looking through the reviews from overseas. Apparently, the movie aired in cinemas sometime in July in other countries.

"Well, I guess they're just trying to fill in the slots. I haven't watched this movie yet, so I guess we can go see it if you haven't as well," she said.

"Alright, let's go."

————————————————————————

August 18th, 3:34 PM

"Ahh~! That was so good! Did you like the movie, Kiyotaka-kun?"

"Yeah, I did."

I genuinely did. Seeing the main female character strive and be able to explore the outside world despite being bound by her disability made me feel a sense of camaraderie.

"Ah-! Kikyou-chan's on a date~!"

Before we could have a deeper conversation about the said movie, two unfamiliar female students suddenly called out to us.

"Iida-senpai and Konishi-senpai...?"

"Hehe, were you caught off-guard? We could see you two being all lovey-dovey from the top seats, you know?"

"I see~. So this is Kikyou-chan's boyfriend, huh? Nice to meet you, I'm Konishi Yua, from Class 3-A."

"I'm Iida Aoi, from Class 3-A, as well. You're Ayanokouji Kiyotaka-kun, right?"

"Yes, uh... Nice to meet you...?"

How did they...?

"You know who Kiyotaka-kun is, Senpai?"

"Yep! I think Horikita-kun mentioned his name one time. That guy never talks about the first-year students, so if he says even one name, I'd probably remember it," replied Iida-senpai.

Her citrine eyes immediately made her stand out along with the pale blue gradient at the end of her shoulder-length black hair. She immediately exuded the energy of a strong-headed and energetic person.

"That's probably just you, Aoi... I just remembered his name after you mentioned it," followed Konishi-senpai.

On the other hand, Konishi-senpai's blond hair and aquamarine eyes caught my eye. Her prim and proper style of fashion probably mirrored her jolly yet gentle nature.

"So the two of you watched the movie, too?"

"Well, yeah. I've watched the movie before, but Yua said she hasn't seen it yet, so we decided to give it a go. We didn't expect to spot you on a date with your boyfriend, though."

"Uh, Senpai, I think there's a misunderstanding here. Kikyou and I aren't in that kind of relationship."

My words instantly caught their attention.

"Ara, is that so? I wouldn't have followed up on Yua's assumption, but neither of you denied it immediately, so..."

"Weren't you the first one who assumed their relationship earlier? You were so confident that I just believed you..." Konishi-senpai smiled bitterly, side-eyeing her.

"Now, now. If I also happened to see a boy and girl going out to see a romantic movie, I'd probably be in the same mindset as you, Senpai. I don't think it's a big deal," said Kikyou.

"So you're on a date but you're not dating each other, huh? I see, I see," Iida-senpai nodded repeatedly.

"Did you go out shopping?" asked Konishi-senpai, seeing the bag that I was holding onto.

"Yes— for a birthday gift, to be exact. I wanted to buy one at an early date while Kiyotaka-kun needed help with choosing. That's why we decided to go out today, just the two of us." Kikyou answered her question with solid support.

"In other words, your interests aligned. How efficient, as expected of Kikyou-chan."

"Ahh! Are you perhaps the 'best friend' that the guys are talking about?!" exclaimed Iida-senpai.

"Aoi, you're getting too riled up now." Konishi-senpai held her shoulders with a bitter laugh.

"A-Ah... My bad..."

Taking the conversation to a more appropriate place, the four of us decided to hang out at the food court.

"I'm really sorry if we're being a couple of nosy tagalongs to your date." Iida-senpai apologized while sipping on her milk tea.

"It's fine, Iida-senpai. Kiyotaka-kun and I were supposed to go home after watching the movie, anyway."

"Is that true, Ayanokouji-kun? Or is Kikyou-chan just trying to be nice to Aoi again?" Meanwhile, Konishi-senpai asked me in a suspecting tone.

"It's true. Apart from shopping and grabbing lunch together, we didn't really plan to do anything else. Watching a movie was an impromptu idea after we noticed that we finished everything too quickly. It's not like the two of us had any other plans, anyway."

"I see~."

"On that note, Senpai, what were you talking about earlier?" asked Kikyou.

"About the best friends thingy?"

"Mn," she nodded. "You see, most of the students in our year recognize Kiyotaka-kun as my best friend. I don't know much about the upper levels, though."

"You might not know about this, Kikyou-chan, but you're also quite the hot topic for the 3rd-year guys. Well, that's always been the case for every cute girl that enrolls here, but a number of boys from our year still have their eyes on you," explained Konishi-senpai.

"Ehh... Is that the case?"

"Yep~! And of course, since we don't really have a lot of time left to get to know our kouhais, there's no way for them to know about your circle of friends in detail," she explained. "Ah, but it would make sense that you're around your other handsome classmate— uh—"

"Hirata-kun?"

"Yeah, yeah, Hirata-kun from the Soccer Club— He's also been a topic for some senior girls... apart from that other boy called Kouenji, of course. That guy had been playing around with the girls from other classes." Iida-senpai rolled her eyes in boredom. "Anyway, no one in our year knows about Ayanokouji-kun, so it comes off as a surprise whenever you two are seen together. As time went on, the boys just labeled him as the 'best friend' who's super close to you."

I don't know if the fact that they didn't even bother learning my name was something that I should be sad about or thankful for.

"Hmm... I guess that makes sense. Ayanokouji-kun is very popular in our year, but I don't think anyone in the senior classes would know about him." Kikyou looked at me for support.

"Maybe...? I'm not sure if I'm properly following this topic, but if you're curious about my connections with the seniors, I practically have none. Unlike Hirata or the other popular guys, I'm not in any clubs. And I'm not outgoing like Kikyou or Ichinose, for example. I only really hang out with my classmates."

"I see~. That makes a lot of sense," smiled Konishi-senpai. "Thanks for entertaining our gossip chitchat, and sorry for Aoi being nosy."

"Eh-?! I'm the only one?!"

Kikyou chuckled before turning to me.

"They're good senpais. They're the ones who looked after me during my early days here in school."

"Ahh, I think you've mentioned them before. Were they the ones who invited you to their club?" I also remember Kikyou's side-comment about one senpai being annoyingly persistent. She must've been talking about Iida-senpai. "If I remember correctly, one was the Volleyball Club while the other was the Tea Ceremony Club."

"I'm from the Volleyball Club! I'm taking care of Nene-chan," replied Iida-senpai.

Mori was a member of the volleyball club, so it makes sense for them to know each other.

"I'm the president of the Tea Ceremony Club," followed Konishi-senpai.

If I remember correctly, the student council president temporarily stayed in the Tea Ceremony Club's room. 

"I'm surprised you remember, Kiyotaka-kun. It's not like they were the only clubs that I talked about."

"Well, those two were the only clubs that you talked about in tandem."

"Hm?" Iida-senpai grabbed her phone after feeling a vibration in her pocket. "Ahh... Speak of the devil, Maika-chan and the others are calling for me. They want to have an emergency meeting for the club."

"Is everything alright, Iida-senpai?" Kikyou asked with a concerned look.

"It'll be fine. The tournament is coming up, so I'm sure they're just a bit nervous." Iida-senpai got up and bid her farewell. "I'll be going on ahead. Don't bother them too much, okay, Yua?"

"I'm not like you, Aoi. We'll be fine over here," she waved with a gentle smile. "Tell everyone I said hi."

And there she goes.

"She might act like that, but Aoi's a lot more mature than she lets on."

"Her teammates seem to rely on her," commented Kikyou.

"They do. In sports clubs, class divisions don't matter. You're all allies in one team. It's different from the hostile atmosphere of special exams. I'm sure you can understand what I'm saying by now."

"Yes, we do..." Kikyou nodded melancholically. "Did your class have it hard?"

"Oh, our class? If I'm being honest, I think we have it a lot easier compared to the other Class As in the past. Horikita-kun is just too amazing. For flow riders like me and Aoi, all we had to do was not hold the class back," Konishi-senpai answered with a smile. "Through his efforts, we were able to have a pretty great high school experience. Our class will be forever thankful because of that."

"I see. That's really nice, isn't it, Senpai?"

"Fufun~, but it's not over yet, Kikyou-chan. Class B could still overtake us, so we can't just laze around. That goes for you guys, too, who just became the newest Class A for your year."

"Y-Yes! We'll do our best!"

"That's right. Let's do our best as fellow Class A students, okay?"

————————————————————————

August 18th, 5:02 PM.

"Our dorm is this way, so we'll have to say goodbye now."

In the end, we hung out with Konishi-senpai until it was finally time to head back.

"Let's hang out again sometime, Kikyou-chan. And it was nice meeting you too, Ayanokouji-kun." 

"I would love to hang out with you again, Senpai," replied Kikyou.

Meanwhile, I just responded with a nod.

Kikyou and I walked towards the first-year dorm's lobby after separating from Konishi-senpai. After a silent trip inside the elevator, I parted ways with Kikyou while heading off to the 4th floor.

"Thanks a lot for today, Kikyou."

"Don't mention it, Kiyotaka-kun. I'm the one who asked for your company, anyway."

I got inside my room after Kikyou and I exchanged our goodbyes.

After doing my daily routine of checking messages, I finally collapsed onto my bed.

"A great high school experience, huh...? I wonder if I could have that at all?"