Classroom of the Elite: Just Want to Be a Slacker

Expecting this guy to honor the bet was basically impossible.

Head-on, Ryuen couldn't do anything to Kamio Tatsuya, so he could only resort to underhanded tactics.

As for what those tactics would be, Kamio Tatsuya could guess with his ass—nothing more than violence, the method little thugs were best at using to force people into submission.

Kamio Tatsuya was just curious how Ryuen planned to make his move in a place practically covered in surveillance cameras.

Surely he wasn't planning to have several burly men suddenly rush out and beat him up for no reason while he was walking alone?

At that thought, Kamio Tatsuya's expression stiffened.

Fuck, it wasn't impossible...

Ever since Ryuen's attempt to hire Class D students to sabotage Class A had failed, he had been directing Class C students to pull little stunts.

He had heard that quite a few disputes had broken out, and Class C had even lost a considerable number of Class Points because of it.

If Ryuen didn't care about Class Points and insisted on coming after him, there was no way he could fucking avoid it.

Damn it, he had set the terms too hastily. The definition of getting humiliated was just too broad.

Still, it was fine. It wasn't like he didn't have legs—if he couldn't win, he could run.

Besides, Ryuen probably wouldn't go too far at the start. This time would be Kamio Tatsuya's opportunity.

Friday, one week before the exam.

Kamio Tatsuya arrived at school as usual, keeping to his own pace.

He didn't know whether it was because of his bet with Ryuen or because the exam was approaching, but he hadn't seen Shiina Hiyori these past few days.

It seemed she wouldn't contact him until he and Ryuen had settled things.

That made sense. If she contacted him now, Ryuen would probably see her as a traitor.

On one side was her class, and on the other was her friend. It really was a difficult position.

Thinking that, Kamio Tatsuya opened his indoor shoe locker.

Then he discovered a letter sitting on top of his indoor shoes. A letter alone would have been one thing, but the envelope was a cute shade of pink.

The moment he saw it, Kamio Tatsuya knew what it was—a love letter.

Fuck!

Kamio Tatsuya was instantly shocked when he saw it.

They were even using a honey trap? Ryuen was really fucking shameless.

Was he planning to lure me over and then beat me up?

What a fucking lowlife move.

Since Kamio Tatsuya usually arrived right on time, he often ran into Yamauchi and Ike.

As a result, the two of them clearly saw Kamio Tatsuya take the love letter out of his shoe locker.

"A-a-a... a love letter."

When Ike Kanji saw Kamio Tatsuya pull the love letter from the locker, he was so stunned that he could barely speak properly.

Yamauchi Haruki, standing beside him, also widened his eyes, his face filled with disbelief, envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Noticing the two of them, Kamio Tatsuya put the letter away. He didn't know what it said, but it definitely wasn't suitable to read here.

Nor could he put it back into the shoe locker. Otherwise, these two guys might secretly open it and read it.

He absolutely couldn't overestimate their character. They were completely capable of doing something like that.

Wait...

Maybe he could do this. Hopefully, it would go smoothly.

Kamio Tatsuya glanced at Yamauchi and Ike, gave them a provocative look, then changed into his indoor shoes and left.

Ike and Yamauchi, meanwhile, were thoroughly angered by Kamio Tatsuya's provocative glance.

"What the hell! He just got a love letter. What's he so smug about?"

"Exactly! Why does that guy get such a cute love letter?"

The two took turns badmouthing Kamio Tatsuya.

Then a flash of inspiration struck Ike, turning him into a master strategist.

"Could it be, could it be..."

"Could it be what? Just say it."

"What if that love letter wasn't actually written for him at all?"

Once Ike raised that possibility, Yamauchi immediately came to a realization.

"That's right! I was wondering how that guy could possibly receive a love letter. Someone must have put it in the wrong place, or maybe they asked him to pass it on to someone else."

"Exactly. That's what I think too."

"So, for the sake of the truth, we have to see what's written in that letter!" Ike Kanji suddenly declared righteously.

Yamauchi Haruki froze for a moment, then immediately chimed in.

"That's right! We absolutely have to make sure that love letter reaches where it belongs!"

When they arrived at the classroom, Kamio Tatsuya opened the envelope. Its contents were roughly an invitation for him to go to the Special Teaching Building after school, where someone wanted to talk to him.

And just as he had guessed, it was signed by Shiina Hiyori. The handwriting looked similar, and even the writing style had clearly been deliberately imitated.

Most importantly, the envelope carried the same perfume Shiina used. Just smelling it gave off a distinctly Shiina-like scent.

But...

You think I'd believe this?

Ryuen, did you not stop to consider who invented the Thirty-Six Stratagems?

Even if I had never systematically studied the Thirty-Six Stratagems, this stuff was practically carved into my soul.

And you want to use this against me?

You truly have a death wish!

Chapter 55: Diverting the Calamity

Throughout the morning, Kamio Tatsuya acted no differently than usual, while Ike and Yamauchi kept glancing his way from time to time.

Though they thought they were being discreet, Kamio Tatsuya noticed every last one of their looks.

Good. They took the bait.

"What should we do, Kanji? That guy's been keeping the letter in his pocket the whole time. We can't get it out at all."

"It's fine. Just wait patiently. I'm sure an opportunity will come."

Even during lunch, Ike and Yamauchi continued plotting over the matter.

Because of this, neither of them had studied properly all morning. Even at lunchtime, they kept their eyes fixed on Kamio Tatsuya's movements.

As if on cue, Kamio Tatsuya took the envelope from his desk drawer. After reading it, the smile on his face never faded. He put the letter back into the envelope, tossed it into his desk drawer, then stood up and left the classroom.

The heavens are helping us!

Seeing that, Yamauchi and Ike sprang up from their seats. One kept watch while the other took the pink-envelope love letter from Kamio Tatsuya's desk drawer.

Afterward, Ike and Yamauchi immediately huddled together and opened the envelope.

After a long while, their expressions turned uncertain.

"Damn it, I can't believe it really was a love letter written to that guy."

"Don't give up, Kanji. Shiina-chan must have been deceived by that violent bastard Kamio. Let's go after school and expose his true colors."

Because Kamio had beaten him up before, Yamauchi hated Kamio Tatsuya to the bone.

He simply had not dared show it because he was afraid of him.

Now that he had a chance to get revenge on Kamio Tatsuya, how could he possibly give it up? He immediately egged Ike on to make trouble.

"Yes, exactly!" Prompted by Yamauchi, Ike Kanji suddenly came to his senses. "Shiina-chan must have been tricked. We have to expose him right in front of Shiina!"

When Kamio Tatsuya returned, he did not even check whether the love letter was still there.

It was as if heaven itself was helping them!

The two afternoon classes ended quickly. After briefly urging the students to keep up with their studies, Chabashira-sensei left.

Kamio Tatsuya immediately began packing up as usual, but he soon discovered that the love letter in his desk drawer was gone.

A panicked expression immediately appeared on his face.

Yamauchi and Ike, who saw this, grinned and promptly left the classroom without even taking their bags.

They even ran, as though they were afraid they would not die fast enough.

After noticing Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki leave the classroom, the panic on Kamio Tatsuya's face instantly vanished. He calmly continued packing his things.

Only after he had finished did he slowly make his way toward the Special Teaching Building.

Meanwhile, after noticing Kamio Tatsuya panic over the missing love letter, Ike and Yamauchi immediately left the classroom and hurried toward the meeting place stated in the letter.

Ike and Yamauchi arrived together at the third-floor corridor of the Special Teaching Building, but they did not find the Shiina they had expected.

Shiina was not there, but someone else was waiting.

"Huh? Shiina-chan isn't here yet?"

"Idiot. Class C just got out too. Girls have more things to deal with, so we'll definitely have to wait a while."

Just as the two were talking, a dull voice rang out.

"What a shame. Shiina won't be coming."

"Huh? Who's there?"

Yamauchi and Ike turned around and saw Ishizaki from Class C coming up the stairs with two boys.

But when the other side saw Ike and Yamauchi, they were also stunned. "Huh? Kamio isn't here?"

Ike and Yamauchi were equally baffled. "This isn't what we agreed on. Shiina-chan isn't coming?"

The five people present immediately stared at one another, wide-eyed.

"What do we do, Ishizaki? If Kamio didn't come, are we still going through with this?"

One of the guys following Ishizaki asked.

Ishizaki's expression shifted uncertainly. To be honest, he couldn't make up his mind either. His orders had been to come here after school, beat up Kamio Tatsuya when he arrived, search him for the love letter, and then leave.

But Kamio was not here. Instead, Yamauchi and Ike from Class D had shown up.

And no matter how stupid Yamauchi and Ike were, they had realized that something was wrong.

"Hey, what the hell are you Class C guys trying to do?"

"Let us go right now, or I'll file a complaint with the Student Council."

Hearing that, Ishizaki recalled what had happened during the first week of the month. It was this guy—this guy called Yamauchi Haruki.

Not only had he deliberately bumped into Ishizaki while he was using the bathroom, making him piss all over his hands, he had later pretended to be the victim and extorted one hundred thousand Private Points from Class C.

The more Ishizaki thought about it, the angrier he became. The way he looked at Yamauchi turned hostile.

"I've got a score to settle with this Yamauchi. You two, stop that guy next to him, Ike. If he tries to run or notify anyone else, beat the hell out of him."

Cracking his knuckles, Ishizaki grinned viciously and walked toward Yamauchi.

There were no cameras here anyway, so beating him up wouldn't matter. Besides, they had come here intending to beat up Kamio Tatsuya in the first place.

The other two students walked toward Ike with similarly unfriendly expressions.

"W-What are you trying to do? I-I'm really going to complain to the Student Council!"

"Do whatever you want. There aren't any cameras here, and there are no witnesses. Just lie down and take it!"

Yamauchi's screams immediately rang out through the Special Teaching Building. As for Ike, he had been frightened stiff and did not dare move at all.

Around the corner, Kamio Tatsuya listened to Yamauchi's screams and immediately took out his phone to text Hirata. He also attached a short video of Yamauchi being beaten up, naturally sending it anonymously.