Classroom of the elite: The Four elites

Lelouch's POV:

"Checkmate," I murmured, placing my white knight on NF6, sealing the game.

Norihito Watanabe stared at the board, his expression a mixture of disbelief and frustration. With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair. "You beat me again, but this time in only ten moves. The more we play, the more my ass is being handed to me."

I couldn't help but smile. To his credit, Norihito was a skilled chess player. But, unfortunately for him, his opponent was me.

"To think you could best me so easily," he continued, his voice tinged with defeat. "We've played three times now, and every time you've beaten me, by two fewer moves each time."

I raised a playful eyebrow, watching as he leaned back, his gaze shifting toward me with a smile that was equal parts admiration and mockery. "Guess you're getting worse, huh?"

He let out a friendly laugh. "Maybe. But trust me, next time, I'll make sure you feel the pressure and finally lose."

"I'll look forward to it," I replied, offering a friendly smile. "Instead of beating you in eight moves, I'll make sure to get you in seven just for that threat."

"I'd like to see you try," he shot back with a playful grin.

We exchanged a few more words before packing up, as class was about to start. I wasn't really one for making friends, but spending time with certain individuals had a way of changing things.

————

The class had finally ended after the dreaded swimming session, a brutal affair, to say the least. But before I could dwell on the discomfort any longer, a figure caught my eye. Ichinose. She was rushing toward me, an urgent look on her face.

"Could we go somewhere more private?" she whispered, making sure no one was within earshot.

"Sure," I replied, my voice just as quiet.

"Good, I'll meet you at Keyaki Mall in thirty minutes." Without waiting for a response, she was gone, swept away by the flow of students.

As I stood there, still processing her words, I noticed Chihiro Shiranami giving me a death stare from the corner of my eye. She clearly didn't believe that I wasn't Ichinose's romantic partner. I was about to brush it off when a thought lingered, this could be an annoying reoccurring issue.

Shaking my head, I made my way out of the classroom and toward the mall. I arrived early and leaned against a wall, letting the minutes tick by as I wondered if the complaints I sent last night had been received.

"Hey, Lelouch," a voice called out, snapping me from my thoughts.

"Right on time," I replied, spotting Ichinose jogging toward me, slightly out of breath.

"I only just managed to escape some classmates," she said, her cheeks flushed from the sprint. "They swarmed me right after class, but I finally broke free."

I gave her a nod. "Let's take a walk, then. We can talk as we go." I pushed off from the wall I'd been leaning against, expecting her to fall into step beside me.

She followed, but there was a mischievous glint in her eyes. "So, Lelouch, do you have a crush on any of the girls? Maybe from Class B?" she teased, a playful grin tugging at her lips.

"And what if I did?" I countered.

"Then I'd expect you to tell me," she said, her tone still light. "I am the class leader, after all."

I shrugged. "Unfortunately there's no one I'm interested in at this moment in time."

"Hmmm, I never would've guessed you were that side of the fence," she said, nudging me lightly with her elbow.

I glanced at her, feeling the tension in the air. She was trying to break the ice before getting to whatever reason she'd called me out here. After some small talk, we ended up sitting down at a nearby café. The drinks came, and we continued the conversation, but I was starting to get bored of her beating around the bush.

"So, what's the real reason you brought me out here?" I asked, cutting through the chatter with a more serious tone. "I'd like to get to the point."

She paused, clearly gathering her thoughts, then let out a deep breath. "I'm thinking of applying for the student council," she said quietly, her usual confidence now laced with uncertainty. "But I'm not fully confident yet. If I get in, it'll take a lot of my time. I was hoping as the vice-leader, you could be someone I could trust to handle things when I'm busy."

Her words hung in the air for a moment, and I mulled them over. It wasn't exactly what I had expected but this did prove something in my mind.

"You want me to step up as a leader in your absence?" I clarified, making sure I understood.

"Yes, but only if I get in," she added, her voice tinged with doubt.

Before I could respond, the drinks arrived. I took a sip of my tea, trying to calm the nerves that had suddenly flared up. And then, as if on cue, I felt that familiar cold sensation.

Someone was watching me.

Ichinose seemed to notice my shift in demeanor. "Are you okay, Lelouch?"

I pulled myself together, but my mind raced. I knew someone was staring, someone who annoyingly made my skin crawl. "I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile. "I'll support you with the council, though. I have to tell you a secret, I already applied to the student council."

Ichinose looked confused before relieved, but before I could let my guard down, I caught a glimpse of him through the café window. The man with the tired eyes.

He was there. Watching.

I tried to focus on Ichinose, but my mind kept drifting back to him. Could it be that he knew something? Does he know me? I quickly dismissed the thought. No, it's just coincidence, he was just a spy eyeing up the competition.

Ichinose placed her hand on my face, pulling me back to the present. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I pulled away instinctively, nodding. "Yeah. But why do you want to join the council?"

I wasn't really listening to her answer, my thoughts consumed by the figure now who was across the room taking a seat. Why was he watching us? Was he following Ichinose? Or me?

After a moment, I turned my attention back to her. "Well I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to tell me" I said in a casual tone.

"Of course. Well, thank you, Lelouch," she said with a small smile. "I didn't want to keep you any longer. Should we go back?"

"Sounds good," I replied, standing up. I offered to pay, then headed toward the exit, deliberately taking the longer route. As we passed his table, I caught him staring directly at me, his eyes unwavering. I made sure me and Ichinose walked past his table at the same time yet he seemed to have no interest in her.

————

After a little reminiscing, I saw a notification on my phone for 2,000 private points being sent to me by Norihito Watanabe.

Ever since that talk with Ichinose and the second appearance of that baggy-eyed man watching me, I've been getting closer to my classmates. The original plan was to sit on it for now and only fully act if I needed to, but unfortunately for me, plans do change.

After that whole ordeal, I did some digging into that baggy-eyed man and was able to conclude that he was, in fact, in class A. I knew my reasoning was right on the matter. After I discovered his class, I was able to discover his full name. That being said, it was rue Ryuzaki.

The class bell went off as I looked back on some more things. At the rate I was going, I was doing what Ichinose wanted while also extracting private points from my classmates. My insane ability at chess puts me miles above everyone else, and I'm sure I can use this as a gold mine against other classes as well.

————

I walked into class earlier than usual, letting out a little yawn. After last night's talk with Ichinose, I decided today would be the day I actually tried to at least get along with some of the students.

I looked around the room before spotting exactly who I was looking for—a guy with glasses and blue eyes. I walked over to him as I pulled a random seat at his desk, which caught him off guard a little.

"Say, Tetsuya Hamaguchi, would you be interested in a wager?"

"A wager," he said rhetorically before speaking again. "I'm listening," he said curiously.

As I caught his attention, I grabbed my bag and pulled out a chess set.

"Let's have a game of chess," I said, as I can tell he's a bit hesitant.

"Let's make a 5k wager. My win conditions are that I have to beat you in, let's say, " I look at the clock to see the time before looking at him." In exactly 14 moves, I win. If you beat me or if I don't beat you in exactly 24 moves with my pieces, then you win the 5k."

"Hmmm," I saw him say as he was looking at me before letting off a little smirk. "Sure, why not? I mean, at this point, it's just easy money.

After idle chit chat, we placed the board up. We had a game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who White was.

"Well, then it seems I'm white; let's have a good game," I say as I shake his hand before making my first move.

LL: d2 to d4

T: Ng8 to Nf6

Ll: Nb1 to Nc3

T: e7 to e5

Well, that's odd. I thought to myself, I've never seen a move like this before. He doesn't seem like he's a bad player or anything, so I'm surprised he made such a silly blunder this early. My victory is assured.

As I was going to make my next move, any classmates who were in the class at the time basically gathered around the table to watch the chess game at hand.

LL: d4 to dxe5

T: Nf6 to Ng4

LL: f2 to f4

T: Bf8 to Bc5

LL: Nc3 to Ne4

T: Bc5 to Be3

LL: Bc1 to Bxe3

T: Ng4 to Nxe3

LL: Qd1 to Qd2

T: Ne3 to Nfx1

LL: Ke1 to Kxf1

T: 0-0

LL: f4 to f5

T: Rf8 to Re8

LL: Qd2 to Qf4

T: Nb8 to Nc6

LL: Ng1 to Nf3

T: Qd8 to Qe7

LL: f5 to f6

T: Qe7 to Qe6

LL: Qf4 to Qg5

T: g7 to g6

LL: Qg5 to Qh6

I placed down the last piece I needed as I offered out my hand. It took him a few seconds to realise he had been defeated before he shook my hand.

"That was amazing, Lelouch."

"Yeah, let me play you next."

I heard that the little crowd that formed to watch us wanted to see more from me.

————

I cast a quick glance around the room, noting the silence that had settled over the class. Everyone was focused on the lesson, and I couldn't help but feel a small sense of satisfaction. It seemed my advice had finally gotten to most people. At first, my classmates had been hesitant, some were restless, sneaking glances at their friends, itching to chat during lessons. But after the chess match, it had all changed. Most of them now respected me enough to fall in line, at least for the time being.

The day passed without incident. During break, I spent time with a few classmates, exchanging pleasantries, keeping up the appearance of being engaged. Soon enough, the bell rang, signaling the start of the next session. Chie Hoshinomiya, our homeroom teacher, walked in with a strange air about her.

She didn't look her usual composed self. Her shoulders seemed heavy, as though the weight of something was pulling her down. After a moment, she cleared her throat and spoke, her voice slightly weak.

"We're approaching the end of the month," she began, pausing as if collecting herself. "So, we'll be having a short quiz. Please pass these sheets to the back."

She handed out the papers to the first row, and one by one, they made their way down the aisles, eventually reaching my desk. The paper was a single sheet, filled with questions from the five main subjects. The format was simple, only a handful of questions for each subject, making it clear that this would be no more than a brief review.

I could guess that if our homeroom teacher was here to administer this, the other classes would likely be going through something similar.

Chie-sensei continued, her tone attempting to reassure the class. "Don't worry, everyone. This quiz is just for future reference. It won't affect your report cards, so there's no need to stress. However, cheating will not be tolerated."

The words she used seemed odd, and they struck me as peculiar. It was the way she emphasized that the quiz wouldn't be reflected in our grades. Typically, only general grades make it onto your report card, but her phrasing made it sound like this test might possibly affect something else. Despite my skepticism, I decided not to overthink it. If she was telling the truth, there was no reason to feel any pressure.

The quiz began, and I skimmed over the first few questions. It seemed to be, four questions per subject, twenty questions in total. Each question was worth five points, bringing the total possible score to one hundred. For the most part, the questions were absurdly simple. It almost felt insulting, as though they were designed for a much younger age group. In fact, they were a good deal easier than the questions I had faced during the entrance exams. It seemed almost too simple.

Still, I kept my pace, completing the first few sections in record time. But as I moved on to the final set of questions, I could feel the change. The difficulty jumped from beginner to advanced. The last 3 almost seemed to be impossible. The first two questions were manageable, solvable with a few quick formulas, but the last question—

I stared at it for a long moment, trying to wrap my mind around it. It was unlike anything I had encountered in a test for first-year high school students. No, this wasn't just harder. It felt completely out of place, as if it had been lifted from an entirely different curriculum.

I glanced around the room. A few students were groaning, frustration seeping through the air. They, too, seemed to struggle with the final questions. The more I thought about it, the more I doubted the legitimacy of this test. These questions were clearly out of our league. So why were they here? Was it a mistake? I doubted it, no, there was something deliberate about this.

I turned my attention back to the paper. Chie-sensei was making her rounds, keeping a watchful eye on everyone, her presence making it clear that any attempt to cheat would be pounced on. I kept my gaze fixed on the final question, hoping that some spark of insight would hit me. But it didn't.

I had to admit it: I wasn't going to get this one right.

So I put an answer down before closing the page over as I rested my head on the desk as the bell rang. Though as soon as it did, an announcement echoed through the speakers:

"Could Lelouch of Class B please head to the student council office? I repeat, could Lelouch of Class B please head to the student council office."

A few curious eyes turned toward me as I stood up. I noticed the various amount of glances but ignored them, slinging my bag over my shoulder. The walk to the student council office was brief, but by the time I arrived, I had time to reflect on why I was being summoned.

I knocked lightly on the door.

"You may enter," came a calm, yet oddly commanding voice.

I stepped inside, finding myself face-to-face with Manabu Horikita, who I remembered from the gymnasium and his speech. He was as composed as ever, seated at a large desk, eyes fixed on me. Beside him stood a girl of average height with purple hair, styled in two buns, bangs sweeping across her forehead. Her eyes, a warm peach-brown, flickered with curiosity as I entered.

"Please, take a seat," Manabu instructed, and I followed his direction, settling into the chair opposite him.

"I'm curious why I've been summoned," I asked, feigning confusion, the slightest hint of a challenge in my voice.

Manabu's gaze hardened slightly. "I see. We're playing dumb now." He sighed, as if already tiring of the conversation, before pulling out a sheet of paper from his desk. "This is yours, isn't it?"

I glanced at the paper, recognizing it immediately. "I see," I said calmly. "So, you summoned me to discuss my complaints?"

His eyes shifted back to the paper as he read aloud. "Your first complaint is that Tachibana Akane, a member of the student council security, has been abusing her power. According to you, she has allegedly blackmailed your classmates into giving her their points."

I nodded, playing along. "That's correct."

Before I could elaborate, Tachibana Akane, standing off to the side, panicked and interjected, "President, you know I wou—"

Manabu raised a hand, and she fell silent immediately.

He then moved on. "Your second complaint is that I've been harassing Ichinose. Claims like this are taken very seriously. Do you have any proof?"

A faint smirk curled at my lips. "Well, you told me yourself. You admitted all the inappropriate things you did and planned to do to her."

Manabu's face twitched, his composure slipping. "So you're not being serious, then," he said, clearly annoyed. "I don't have time for these foolish games. You may excuse yourself."

I didn't budge. "Before I go, I'd like to tell you the real reason for my complaints."

He regarded me coolly, waiting. I took a moment, then spoke.

"Well, you see," I continued, "I applied to join the student council a couple of days ago, but I haven't heard anything back. Then I heard rumours Ichinose was talking with the council members, and I wondered why she was being involved. It's strange, isn't it?"

Manabu's eyes narrowed. "She was. Must have been Nagumo's doing," he murmured, almost under his breath.

I pressed on, "So it wasn't you, then. But that's irrelevant. There should be two spots available on the council, and usually by now, they would have been filled. But it doesn't seem like you're considering any applications. Why might that be?"

Manabu closed his eyes for a moment, deep in thought. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter, more resigned. "In truth, I made a mistake. I won't go into details, but what I will say is the vice president isn't someone to take lightly."

I studied his face for a beat, then replied. "I did some research into the council. It seems Nagumo has the second-years under his control."

Manabu looked at me, his expression hardening, but there was something in his eyes that told me he wasn't quite as unfazed as he tried to appear. "He is a special character. At first, I thought he was a great addition, that's why I made him vice president. But it didn't take long before our views began to clash."

I raised an eyebrow. "I see. But be honest with me now, Manabu. I don't think you're telling me the full story. From everything I've seen so far, I believe you're trying to shield the first-years from him. You don't want anyone who could be easily corrupted by Nagumo in your ranks, do you?"

Manabu met my gaze for a long moment before slowly nodding. "You wouldn't be wrong," he said at last. "I don't plan on taking anyone from the new year classes... but it's not entirely impossible."

I let that hang in the air for a moment, considering my next words carefully. "If you don't mind, I'd suggest you don't take anyone from Class B. Unless, of course, it's me."

Manabu looked at me, slightly puzzled at first, then something clicked. His expression softened, just a little, as he realized the implication. "I wasn't planning on taking anyone from Class B anyway," he muttered, more to himself than to me.

I stood, stretching my arms slightly, feeling satisfied with the information I had gathered. "I've enjoyed our conversation. I do hope we can make this a regular thing. But for now, that will be all. I only used the complaints to force this meeting so I could understand why I wasn't considered for the council."

He nodded, a small smirk on his lips. "I had gathered as much."

I glanced briefly at the girl standing next to him before turning to leave. "Take care, Manabu. Until next time."

The door closed behind me, and I walked away, my mind already spinning with the implications of our conversation. This was just the beginning, but I now had the information I needed.

***

How did we feel about this chapter?

I also want to clarify one more time when I do.

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It means that there's a flashback occurring.