Reincarnated into the Classroom of the Elite World

[How long do you want to live?]

His consciousness was submerged in chaos, hazy and drifting, when Yuto finally caught this light, airy inquiry.

Oh, right—he must have collapsed from exhaustion after pulling an all-nighter and fallen asleep at his desk.

Is this a dream?

His heart tightened abruptly. Oh no, once he realized it was a dream, shouldn't he be waking up?

No, Yuto didn't want to go back; he wanted to sleep a little longer.

"Hey, Amasawa! Slacking off and sleeping during work hours? Did you finish revising the proposal?"

His boss's voice poured over him like ice water, and Yuto shivered instantly.

He couldn't pretend to be asleep anymore. Forcing his eyelids open, he squeezed out a sentence: "One minute, just one minute is all I need."

The proposal he had hastily finished before falling asleep was sitting on his computer desktop right now.

He took out his flash drive and inserted it into the USB port—he missed the first time, flipped it, and it still got stuck. He adjusted it back to the original angle, and this time, it slid in.

When the screen lit up with the "Scanning USB drive" prompt, he suddenly froze.

What was that question in his dream just now? Even though he had only just regained his senses, his mind felt like it was covered in a layer of fog, leaving not a single trace of memory behind.

Forget it. It was just a dream; why think so much about it?

"Scan complete. No threats found."

The moment his fingertips touched the mouse, a sharp, stabbing pain exploded in his chest. His vision instantly blurred into a smear, and a dizzying sense of weightlessness wrapped around him, pulling him down.

In the dim light, his boss's panicked shouting pierced his eardrums: "Amasawa! Amasawa, what's wrong?! Don't scare me—"

His body swayed, feeling like he was falling from a great height, and then the back of his head took a heavy, dull blow—not from an impact, but as if he had been struck hard by something invisible.

Amasawa's consciousness sank completely into the void.

[Seriously, don't blame me for this. Who told you to pat your chest and say 'one minute is all I need'?]

At the edge of his vision floated a mass of pure white. An angel, whose silhouette seemed outlined by holy light, stood there. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female, and its voice was equally neutral. It raised a hand and used its will to extinguish the "magic screen" that had been replaying the moments before Amasawa's death.

"Is this your reason for killing me?" Yuto was absolutely furious. He had lost his life over something so trivial: "Couldn't you tell I wasn't talking to you? You just went ahead and asked my lifespan away? And who exactly are you? Where is this?"

The pure white space was silent, with only him and the androgynous angel facing off.

[Long story short, I'm an apprentice god.] The angel made a peace sign: [I was just out doing random acts of kindness for my KPI, trying to grant you a wish. Turns out, I ended up making a mess of things after asking that question.]

He blinked, making a cute expression as he tapped his head.

[As for this place, it's the transition zone between death and reincarnation. I've come to fix your situation.]

"...This feels no different from a dream." Yuto tried to calm himself, taking a deep breath. "Fine, if you know you made a mistake, can't you just bring me back to life? I still have a proposal to hand in."

[No, no, no!] The angel waved his hands repeatedly, his tone righteous: [The dead cannot return to life. Haven't you studied historical materialism?]

"You're calling yourself a god, yet you're lecturing me on historical materialism?" Yuto was so speechless he actually laughed in frustration.

[Ahem!] The angel cleared his throat awkwardly, twirling his fingertip: [What I mean is, you can't go back to your original world, but I can send you to a different one. Don't forget, this is a transition zone; you can go anywhere you want.]

"I know that, isekai reincarnation?" Yuto raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms with a cold sneer. "Then do you have the guts to send me into Classroom of the Elite? I just finished the first season; if you're so capable, throw me in there!"

He had only meant it as a snide remark, but he saw the angel's eyes light up, instantly becoming energized: [Don't underestimate the authority of an apprentice god! Alright, I'll send you there!]

"You're actually doing it?!" Yuto was so shocked he nearly jumped. "Wait! What will my situation be when I reincarnate? Explain it to me first!"

[No problem, I'll demonstrate with a magic screen—a future simulation, clear at a glance.]

The angel swiped his hand, and a floating light screen immediately appeared in mid-air.

[Simulation Initiated]

[Reincarnation Subject: Amasawa Yuto]

[Target World: Classroom of the Elite]

[Identity: Eldest son of the Amasawa conglomerate, sharing your name]

[Background: Sent by his father, Amasawa Ien, as a "fourth-generation sample" into the White Room founded by Ayanokoji Atsuomi]

[Outcome: Two years later, unable to adapt to the rules of the White Room, he is expelled and subsequently dies]

[Simulation Ended]

"That's it?" Yuto's eyes widened, his voice cracking. "How did I just die like that? No! Absolutely not!"

[Because your material is mediocre; you were never meant to stay in the White Room in the first place.] The angel's tongue was sharper than a blade, leaving no room for mercy.

"Then optimize me!" Yuto panicked, slapping his thigh. "Give me a superpower, or a system would work too!"

[That won't do, we believe in historical materialism... superpowers and such...] The angel remained firm in his words, but his eyes drifted away involuntarily, his tone hiding a sense of guilt.

Hiss. Yuto recalled the angel's earlier claim of being an "apprentice god." Historical materialism? Why be so evasive?

"Could it be that you, this apprentice god, aren't actually all that omnipotent?"

Now it was the angel's turn to fall silent.

"Fine." Yuto was speechless. "Then when I reincarnate, I want to become a genius as excellent as Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, someone capable of clearing the White Room curriculum!"

[That... can be done.] The angel's tone suddenly turned light, even carrying a hint of excitement.

It looked just like an intern who, after being constantly rejected, had finally found a task they could actually handle.

What an unreliable apprentice god, Yuto muttered to himself, then added, "Aren't you going to run another simulation? I'm worried you might mess something up."

The angel raised a hand and drew a circle in mid-air, white light spilling from its fingertips: [My divine power is limited; I can't keep spending it on you. Good luck over there!]

A wave of intense dizziness struck him again, and Yuto's heart sank—I'm not ready yet!

The angel's incantations rang in his ears, recited in a jumbled, nonsensical mess: [Go, go, go, off you go! Prajna-pineapple-honey, Avada Reincarnation, Link start!]

What kind of gibberish spells are these?

Before he could finish his internal complaint, his consciousness plunged into the abyss.

"President Amasawa. This is your first child, have you thought this through?"

"Mr. Ayanokoji, you have already sent your own only child in. What could I, a sponsor, possibly be worried about?"

"Since it is President Amasawa's child, I presume he will be able to stand out in the White Room. Then, happy to be working with you."

Ayanokoji Atsuomi and Amasawa Ien shook hands.

A subordinate took a wailing infant in swaddling clothes from President Amasawa.

"Children in the White Room are not addressed by their surnames. Has President Amasawa chosen a name for the child?"

"Let's call him Yuto."