Settling into my apartment, I sit on my bed and pull out my phone.
[— Leaders Group ⚜🤴✍👨🏫⚜—
Hirata: Gotta go easy on your group, Yukimura-kun 😅. 5:02 PM
Yukimura: Is there a problem? 8:42 PM
Hirata: Not really, just that they came complaining to me 😥. 8:46 PM
Kushida: Same here 🤭. 8:47 PM
Mei: Ditto…😶 8:50 PM
Hirata: They say you're pushing them too hard. Just asking if you could loosen the leash a bit 😅🙏. 8:54 PM
Yukimura: Hmm… Sounds like they still have time to complain. I'll pile on more. 9:02 PM
Kushida: Looks like you just made things worse, Hirata-kun 😪. 9:10 PM
Hirata: 😓. 9:13 PM
Mei: It'll be fine, Hirata-kun. You did your best 😊. 9:14 PM
Me: No need to worry, Hirata-kun. Yukimura-kun, though strict, knows how to handle his group. 9:20 PM
Hirata: You're right, Kōenji-kun. Sorry, Yukimura-kun, for stepping in without your permission 😌🙏. 9:22 PM
Yukimura: It's fine. 9:22 PM
— Today —
Kushida: Morning, everyone 😁👋!!! 6:53 AM
Hirata: Morning, Kushida, morning, everyone. 7:02 AM
Mei: Morning, morning 🙋♀️! 7:04 AM
Me: Good morning, all. Hope you're doing well. 7:14 AM
Mei: Feeling great 💆♀️😅. 7:14 AM
Hirata: Doing good, you, Kōenji-kun? 7:15 AM
Me: I'm fine. 7:15 AM
Yukimura: Morning. 12:16 PM
Mei: It's already noon, Yukimura-kun 🤨. 12:17 PM
Yukimura: Good afternoon, then. 12:17 PM
Kushida: 🤭🤭. 12:20 PM
Hirata: 😂. 12:23 PM
Me: Evening, everyone. Hope your day went well. Just a heads-up, the meeting's at 9 AM at my place. 6:05 PM
Mei: Why your place, Kōenji-kun? 6:07 PM
Hirata: Something wrong with the library? 6:08 PM
Me: No, nothing's wrong. I just think it's better to meet somewhere more private, like we do with our groups, and my place seemed ideal. But if it bothers anyone, we can stick to the library. 6:09 PM
Hirata: Got it. Doesn't bother me 🤝. 6:10 PM
Yukimura: I'm on board too. 6:10 PM
Kushida: Ok 😁! 6:11 PM
Mei: Alright… 6:11 PM]
After finishing the chat, I set my phone on the nightstand and lie Ascending to bed, I lie back.
'The real stuff starts soon.'
I say the words as a smile creeps across my face.
I can't wait…
The world around me goes white, then darkens.
I must've opened my eyes as I feel someone shaking me.
"Matsushita-san! Wake up!"
A voice reaches me. It's the person shaking me.
I turn to my left to face them.
"…Who the hell? Why are you here?"
The sight of this person shocks me so much that the words slip out.
"Why?! I came because someone whose vacation is over didn't show up for work!"
"What?"
'What does that mean?'
I turn my head to survey my surroundings.
There's a book beside me.
'Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijō Shugi no Kyōshitsu e 2nd Year Volume 4.'
The book sits on a low table, while the person shaking me and I are in a small, rundown, messy room.
I lift my eyes to the calendar on the opposite wall.
My eyes widen in shock.
'It's not true! I'm back?'
I turn to the person who shook me.
"Yoshida-san."
I call his name, one I know well.
"Why're you suddenly saying my name? Still not fully awake?"
The grumbling man sits beside me, eating ramen from a bowl.
I stare at him silently, trying to piece my thoughts together. My silence makes the man I know as Yoshida frown.
"…It was just lying there, crying in despair."
"Ramen doesn't talk."
Yoshida stands, grumbling.
"Is this really the time to talk about ramen?"
He sets the bowl down and gathers the scattered papers on the table.
I sit quietly, collecting my thoughts.
Yoshida, a man in his thirties with black hair. Someone I know well, a work colleague. We're on night shift together.
"I didn't go to work today?"
I ask Yoshida. A voice I haven't heard in a while comes from my mouth.
"I'm as shocked as you are. You're the most diligent of us all. What happened?"
After tidying the table, Yoshida looks at me, expecting an explanation.
'I don't know either.'
"I must've left you countless messages! Good thing you gave me a spare key for emergencies."
"What'd the team leader say?"
Yoshida sits back down.
"Well, he yelled as usual. But since you've never missed before, you didn't get a warning… Matsushita-san, are you saying you really slept through a whole day?"
'Slept? So it was just a dream after all…'
I lean back, staring at the ceiling.
'How could I even believe that fantasy for a second?'
"Matsushita-san? You okay?"
Yoshida asks, concerned.
"I'm fine, Yoshida-san. Just had a dream I didn't want to wake from."
"Huh? What kinda dream was that?"
Yoshida picks up his bowl and chopsticks, curious.
I laugh.
"What's so funny, Matsushita-san? Oh, don't tell me it was a naughty dream! Spill, spill!"
Yoshida gets excited.
When I opened my eyes as Kōenji Rokusuke in the world of 'Classroom of the Elite,' I had no regrets about this world. No friends, no family, nothing. I wanted to start over, forget this life.
'But is that really fair?'
I forgot about Yoshida. Though the age gap means we're not exactly friends, a senpai-kouhai bond formed between us. If I'd really left, how would he have reacted? Would he be sad? Would he mourn me?
I'm curious, but not enough to regret this life.
"Sorry…"
"Huh? Nah, it's fine. Covering alone wasn't that bad, but let me know next time."
Yoshida flashes a gentle smile, finishing my ramen bowl.
"Alright! Glad nothing awful happened to you, Matsushita-san. I can leave with peace of mind now."
Yoshida jumps up, heading to the kitchen, but I stop him.
"It's fine, you don't need to do the dishes. I'm just glad you checked on me."
"Cool."
Yoshida sets the empty bowl on the table and heads for the door. I stand to see him out.
I step forward, open the door, and we head outside.
My apartment's a studio. One room with a futon and a chest as a wardrobe, a kitchen with a single burner, a mini fridge, and a dishwasher, and a living area with a low table on a round rug.
Outside, the sun barely shines, suggesting it's still morning. I take in the scenery I haven't seen in nearly a month. What am I saying? It's only been a day.
"See you tonight, Matsushita-san?"
"See you, Yoshida-san."
After parting, I close the door.
Alone now, I look around. Then I head to my room.
A tracksuit hangs on a nail in the corner. My work uniform.
'So, back to this shitty routine? Why am I so depressed? It was just a nice dream. Time to work. I'll see Yoshida, the team leader, and the others. Face the tough but bearable job and live the exhausting daily grind. It'll be fun…'
"Fun, my ass!"
I can't hold back and yell.
'Why, why am I back here?'
I feel my eyes well up.
"Damn it, now I'm crying."
I fooled myself into believing that was possible. Idiot.
'Get it together!'
I take a deep breath, trying to calm down.
My gaze lands on a stack of books on the table. I walk over and sit cross-legged. On the table is the medium that took me to that dreamlike world.
I pick up 'Yōkoso Jitsuryoku Shijō Shugi no Kyōshitsu e 2nd Year Volume 4.'
'At least I can take comfort in reading this novel again and finding out what happens next. If I recall, I stopped at chapter 4.'
As students from all years took a special exam on an uninhabited island, Kiriyama received a message via transceiver detailing Nagumo's orders to interfere with Kōenji. Currently, Nagumo's group has 236 points, Kōenji 230, and Kiriyama's group 188, the gap widening between second and third place. A member of Kiriyama's group suggests it might be smart to delay and let Kōenji win, as it'd hurt Nagumo's reputation if his seven-person group lost to a single second-year. Due to Kōenji's widespread reputation for buying private points with money and slacking off, he hadn't registered as a threat on Nagumo's radar…
I start rereading the chapter, savoring every word.
"What the—?!"
But my enjoyment is short-lived. When I reach the part where I remember stopping, the rest is blank.
"What kinda scam is this?!"
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