The Rebound

Ichinose Kaori

For some reason, that name felt familiar.

But, I don't remember her name ever being mentioned in the light novel, till I had read.

From what I had observed, she seems to be frequently visiting that cafe.

Which implies that I would get more than a few chances to interact with her.

That would be a change of space for me, if I were able to tell her my concerns.

As a senior and a fellow loner, she might understand me better.

Still, Ichinose?

Why there are so many Ichinoses around me?

There was one Ichinose in that dream too.

Well, it doesn't really matter, cause I have bigger problems to deal with.

The starting of next year would mark a new volume in this light novel story.

As I had not read it further, I have no idea how the story would unfold.

Moreover, due to my involvement, lots of things must have changed.

As I was thinking of planning about what to do next, I heard a loud sound behind me.

It was already very late, as that senior Ichinose had already left for her dorms, and I was also going towards my own room.

I was startled at first, because I was just in as area where there was not a single soul in the vicinity.

Thud!

I heard it again, like the sound of iron rods colliding.

As I turned around, someone hit my head with something seemed like a baseball bat.

I fell down on my knees.

A warm sensation of bleeding was the first thing I felt, as my vision got blurrier.

Then, two people dragged me towards an alleyway by my shoulders.

I couldn't think straight, but I guesses that there would not have been any CCTV camera around the area.

A third person appeared in front of me, his face, whose face I couldn't recognize.

Unfortunately, my phone was not on recording mode, so I can't gather any evidence.

"Is he conscious? "

The voice was deep and commanding, but somehow recognizable.

I haven't heard him talking more than a few times, but I definitely remember his voice.

"Yes, Ryuen-san."

Of course, it was that Ishizaki, Ryuen and a random guy from class D.

Ryuen must have had the same questions for me, as Sakayanagi had during that special exam.

I can't picture Ryuen sitting silently, after I blackmailed him with a footage of Ishizaki taking laxatives to a karaoke room, in which class B students were strategizing.

"Yamauchi Haruki. The commander of class C, who defeated Sakayanagi and class A with an overwhelming difference of 3 wins."

Ryuen's mocking voice reached my ears, but I couldn't see his face properly.

Then, he closed the distance and brought his face very close to mine, and said in a threatening voice.

"Oi Yamauchi, this is a clear warning. If you don't want to get beaten up, then just tell me the name of the mastermind controlling you."

"...What if I don't?", I mustered all my strength to speak up.

" What if you don't? Pft. Hahahahaha."

He took a baseball bat out, and showed it in front of me.

"If you don't, then your remaining days at this school would be living hell. You understand, right?"

"And how would you know that I am lying or telling the truth?"

"You got guts to tell me lies? I can tell if someone is lying, so you don't have to worry about that. Just tell me the name, and you will be spared."

I think this was the exact same situation with Karuizawa.

Fortunately, Ayanokouji came to her rescue, and beat up the whole Ryuen gang pretty badly.

But, for me, I am the mastermind myself, so no one would come to my rescue.

And, that laxative proof would be no longer valid now, because it has been a week since then.

Moreover, the karaoke has been closed.

Even if I somehow show them the footage and the laxative mixed food, they would question my reasons for not informing sooner about it.

If I send these evidence anonymously, then they might discard it, by saying the evidence has been tampered with by external force.

All of this implies to a single thing.

I don't have the hold of thier weakness anymore, which Ryuen understands well too.

That's why he would harrass me in the areas of blind spots where CCTV cameras wouldn't be able to reach.

So what should I do?

Tell him that it's Koenji or Ayanokouji?

Or tell him that I don't know rhe mastermind's identity either?

Ryuen is the type of person to constantly exploit his opponent's weakness, until they mentally break.

I don't think his harrassment would stop even if I tell him about everything.

So, why should I?

As I remained silent with a smirk on my face and looked at him straight, he stood up and instructepaind his two henchmen to beat me up again.

The blows fell on my body one after another, and Ryuen's figure seemed to be fading from my field of vision.

I can do nothing in this situation.

I was losing my consciousness, as the beating went harder.

The only thing I could think of was how I would repay this debt to those involved with interest.

And thus, I fell unconscious.

***

During the time Yamauchi was getting beaten up, Minami was walking around with a female acquaintance of her in the same area.

"Did you hear that?", Minami asked to that acquaintance about the loud sound.

".....Yes, it seemed to be coming from behind the first year dorms."

"Let's go and see."

As both of them walked towards the source of that sound, they found an unconscious body of a student lying in the alleyway.

They got closer to the body with skepticism, and found a boy with tattered clothes and bleeding from his forehead.

"Yamauchi-kun!?"

Minami was startled at the sight of an known face in such a state after turning the boy's body to face upwards.

"Do you know him?", the acquaintance asked.

"Yeah, but we should take him to the clinic first. I am gonna call them to get help."

She dialed the clinic personnel and called them for emergency.

At the same time, that acquaintance of hers, as if realizing something, got closer to the face of the unconscious body, and stared at him for some moments, intensely.

She felt something familiar.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

"....What's wrong Amamiya-san?", Minami asked her, startled in her change of state.

"... N-Nothing. It's just that, this boy's face seemed similar to my son."

As she looked at him intently again, the medics team came running with a stretcher.

Minami and her acquaintance were told to return to their rooms as the clinic staff would handle the rest of the stuff.

They seemed hesitant at first, but eventually subsided.

And thus Yamauchi Haruki was hospitalized.

Second year in the story of Classroom of the elite would start.

Third years would graduate and new first years would join.

With that being said, things would change.

Would it change for the better or for worse, is yet to be seen.

"This marks the end of year 1 in COTE."

"EXPERIMENT NO. 34"

"BLACK ROOM CHRONICLES"

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A/N

Sorry for taking so long to update.

Now our MC has to deal with elements of his own world too.

So who do you all think this mysterious female acquaintance is?

And comment down your thoughts regarding the starting of his second year.

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