(Second Update) (Continued)

Hiratsuka Shizuka flicked Tsukikawa Shu on the forehead.

"See you tomorrow, Teacher Hiratsuka."

Tsukikawa Shu rubbed his forehead, leaving without taking so much as a speck of dust, his face full of springtime cheer.

Only Hiratsuka Shizuka remained where she was, thinking about their time together these past days and how he had cornered her just now.

"So embarrassing..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka covered her lips.

The magnificent hall had a lofty stage at the far end, fully equipped with lights, speakers, a piano, and more. Below it sat rows of genuine leather sofas, with peeled fruit and expensive liquor laid out before them.

But the hall was not being used for a dance today.

After throwing money around everywhere, Nita Goichi had indeed found several players suited to being bodyguards. He had also brought in a few students who had entered the Inner World, forming a team.

The last time he had been in the Inner World, Nita Goichi had nearly gone mad from hunger. All his aristocratic manners and image had been cast aside, leaving him with a deeply terrifying psychological shadow.

For the first time in his life of abundance, he had experienced the hunger of approaching death.

He never wanted to go through that again. Never!

"This damned Inner World is completely a place where you survive by luck!"

"People like us, the elite class, possess the most knowledge and work the hardest, yet we have no place to use our abilities. Meanwhile, those lazy fools get to profit from it. Can you really stand for that?!"

"The descendant of some slacker who is too lazy to even reach the middle class—can you really watch him squander resources like this? How does someone like him deserve to rule the Inner World? Those who should rule the Inner World are well-educated people like us!"

He stood atop the stage and spoke at length.

There were over a dozen listeners around him. Half were students who had entered the Inner World last time, while the other half were bodyguards recruited by Nita Goichi or the other students. They could be considered high-level players at this stage of the Inner World, all above level ten.

Although Nita Goichi had lost control from hunger in the Inner World last time, what he said now struck directly at the hearts of most people.

The appearance of the Inner World was extremely unfair to aristocrats and the children of wealthy merchants like them.

Why should ordinary people be able to turn their lives around through luck? Why should the knowledge they had learned be completely useless?!

They were so outstanding. At such young ages, they had already founded company after company and earned their first fortunes. Or they had begun engaging with politics early, helping their parents analyze and manage government affairs.

They never lost heart and were full of youthful vigor. Many had failed at entrepreneurship multiple times, yet through their own efforts, they had eventually turned companies from losses to profits and earned the praise of countless people.

At every ball, they could raise champagne high, enjoy endless compliments, and generously share their entrepreneurial experiences with those around them.

They were so outstanding and worked so hard. Why should people who had received praise from countless political and business leaders be trampled beneath some ordinary person simply because they had slightly worse luck at the start?

This was unfair!!!

The rulers of the Inner World should be hardworking and outstanding talents like them.

Yet the reality was that these people, who had not worked hard enough to even reach the middle class in the original world, were getting ahead. Take that recently swaggering Tsukikawa Shu, for example!

Why were some people always complaining online about having no money? Why could some people not afford to eat better? Why could some people not even buy a house or a car?

Because those people did not work hard enough!

Yet someone who had not worked hard enough to even reach the middle class had stepped all over everyone through sheer dumb luck. Who could stand that?!

While future elites like them suffered hunger and cold, that guy had absurdly good luck, started grinding dungeons, and even brought out huge amounts of resources to "Widely Recruit Virtuous Wives"!

What a wasteful act!

Every descendant of a businessman could only beat their chests in despair. How many investments could those resources fund? How much profit could they bring? And this was the result? All of it used as capital to take wives?

How was this any different from hiring prostitutes? They were just pretty women, weren't they? The whole country was full of them. Was there really any need for this? It was simply ignorant and vulgar!

"Therefore, for the order and future of the Inner World, I declare that I will establish an Elite Committee!"

Nita Goichi's words rang out like falling stones!

His speech was impassioned, and from the perspective of an upper-class person, Nita Goichi's words indeed won the approval of most people.

"Exactly. We only had slightly worse luck. If we could bring the resources we currently possess into the Inner World, would people like Tsukikawa Shu still have the right to strut around?"

"Our luck was more than just a little worse. The Inner World has opened twice already, and we only entered the second time. If we had entered the first time, perhaps we would have gained a foothold too."

"I heard there were plenty of level-one monsters and supplies in the city center of the Inner World, enough for us to level up and survive. But the people who entered when the Inner World first opened took it all, making us seem inferior to them."

Everyone was rational.

Before a true enemy, the little conflicts Nita Goichi had previously had with them in the Inner World meant nothing.

Fujiwara Chika sat below as well, silently listening to the speech onstage.

"Th-...that doesn't mean you can condemn everyone with one sweeping statement, does it?"

Iino Miko sat beside Fujiwara Chika, her brows furrowed.

Fujiwara Chika remained silent.

She did not agree with him, but she did not refute him either.

Most Shuchiin Academy students came from wealthy and aristocratic families and had never encountered the real lives of people at the bottom of society. Refuting them with such unequal information would only waste her breath.

In terms of a Chinese idiom, the current situation was basically, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

"Those ignorant fools are utterly unworthy of standing at the top! Their thinking is the lowest and most ignorant, their vision the shallowest, and they are lazy while always making excuses!"

"Most Inner World resources are currently occupied by those opportunistic slackers. Our mission is to redistribute its resources. Only people like us, with knowledge and diligence, deserve to possess more resources!"

"The order of the Inner World must be rebuilt—rebuilt by our hands!"

Nita Goichi continued delivering his impassioned speech.

"Therefore, I will now establish an organization that belongs to us, one that gathers all elite talents. I hereby formally invite everyone here to join my Elite Committee."

As Nita Goichi spoke onstage, the crowd below erupted into applause.

There were only a dozen or so people, but he had essentially gained everyone's support.

And nearly everyone believed that this Elite Committee would truly be able to Control the World in the future.

Ever since returning from the Inner World, most of them had been searching for high-level players and hiring them at high salaries as personal guards.

Gradually, their ambitions had expanded as well.

Though the Inner World was filled with dangers, it was also completely undeveloped land. The resources and power it contained far surpassed those of the original world. As descendants of politicians and financial magnates, how could they possibly let such an opportunity slip away?

At first, they had only wanted to survive. Then their ambitions gradually grew until they wanted to occupy the Inner World and become its rulers.

"But isn't our current strength still insufficient if we want to rule the Inner World?"

Someone raised a question. "For example, that Tsukikawa Shu from before—his level seems to be over thirty, doesn't it?"

"It's true that, head-on, we still aren't a match for trash like him."

Nita Goichi smiled. "But we can recruit more talented people. As long as we build a legion, I refuse to believe we cannot deal with someone like that."

"Besides, don't forget that we are descendants of elites. The knowledge we possess, our refinement, and our intelligence are things those lower-class people can never catch up to!"

"Surely no one really thinks we cannot deal with someone so lazy and stupid, right?"

Nita Goichi smiled as he looked over the crowd below.

The others looked at each other, then began to laugh as well.

Though they were not at an advantage right now, Tsukikawa Shu's status as an ordinary person, along with the ignorance and vulgarity of his "Widely Recruiting Virtuous Wives" post, meant he was nothing to worry about. Sooner or later, he would be defeated by hardworking and intelligent elite people like them.

"Now, I declare that the Elite Committee has been established!"

Nita Goichi announced.

Applause immediately erupted below.

"..."

Fujiwara Chika had investigated Tsukikawa Shu, yet she could not understand him at all.

They did not understand their opponent's character, did not understand his trump cards or true strength, and yet they were already thinking of conquering him through numerical superiority and a late start...

Perhaps dealing with lower-class people had usually been too easy for them. Ordinary people were ants they could crush at will, so Tsukikawa Shu looked like nothing more than a slightly larger ant in their eyes.

A group of upper-class high school students dreamed of ruling the world with a mindset divorced from the lower class and mixed with chuunibyou arrogance...

As she was thinking that, Iino Miko beside her picked up a fountain pen and handed her a form.

"What's this?"

Fujiwara Chika froze.

"The membership agreement."

As Iino Miko spoke, she had already signed her name on it.

"Huh? Miko, are you planning to join?"

Fujiwara Chika was a little surprised.

"Yeah." Miko blinked. "I've already found a bodyguard too. And look, isn't it best to stick together right now?"

"Isn't this a little hasty?"

Fujiwara Chika hesitated.

Setting aside Nita Goichi's speech just now, a group made up of elite-class people really was the one most suitable for her to join.

"At the very least, surviving is the most important thing right now, isn't it? And look, everyone here is a classmate we know." Iino Miko said.

"Mm... I'll think about it."

Fujiwara Chika smiled and quickly looked over the contents of the agreement.

However, Nita Goichi onstage turned his gaze toward Fujiwara Chika and Iino Miko, who were seated at the edge.

"But since we will eventually develop into a large collective, we need some management personnel."

Nita Goichi smiled. "I think Student Council members Miss Iino Miko and Miss Fujiwara Chika should become part of our management as well."

Fujiwara Chika froze, then saw everyone around her turn their eyes toward her.

"Ahaha... I don't think I'm suited for a management position. You can see my grades are pretty bad, after all."

Fujiwara Chika rubbed her head and laughed.

"Miss Fujiwara, could it be that you do not wish to join this Elite Committee?"

However, Nita Goichi seemed to have seen through Fujiwara Chika's thoughts. He descended from the stage with a smile, the fat on his face bunching into wrinkles.

"Well..."

Fujiwara Chika continued smiling.

Yet she keenly sensed that the gazes around her had changed.

Confusion, puzzlement, disappointment, surprise...

No one believed Fujiwara Chika would refuse something like this.

In everyone's eyes, establishing the Elite Committee was an undertaking with nothing but benefits.

Though they were still young, they had extensive connections. Once it was established, they could gain the support of true political and business elites who had entered the Inner World. Barring any surprises, their organization would quickly become one of the Inner World's foremost powers.

"I'll consider it..."

However, Fujiwara Chika did not get to finish before she was immediately interrupted.