Classroom of the Elite, I Really Just Want to Collect All the CGs

"No."

Kamuro Masumi looked at Shikime Natsu with a hint of embarrassment and annoyance. Did he have to speak so loudly? Was he afraid others wouldn't hear him?

"Is that so? That's truly a pity."

Shikime Natsu sighed slightly.

"Are you planning to go eat, Shikime-san? If you don't mind, I'll join you. Oh, right, Katsuragi is planning to come along too, so we can all chat together."

Totsuka Yahiko said with great enthusiasm.

"If you don't mind, count me in as well."

Hashimoto Masayoshi also chimed in.

What a bunch of characters!

He was supposed to be having lunch with a beautiful girl; what was the deal with eating with a group of guys?

If it really came down to it, he wouldn't have minded eating with Sakayanagi Arisu either.

"Let's go, let's go."

However, it was clear that his lunch plans for today would be limited to these three guys.

Forget it, he would just treat this as a good opportunity to observe this group and test their personalities a little.

Shikime Natsu composed himself, though his feelings remained quite complicated.

He cast a resentful glance at Kamuro Masumi; if she had just agreed, he wouldn't have to be in this situation.

To this, Kamuro Masumi merely let out a cold snort and stopped looking at Shikime Natsu.

"Well then... let's go."

Shikime Natsu nodded and followed the group toward the cafeteria.

On the way to the cafeteria, Shikime Natsu noticed a figure crouching between two vending machines... eating alone?

Chapter 19: Presence Concealment

This person seemed to be... Yamamura Miki from his class. Hmm... a very inconspicuous existence. If she weren't so cute, Shikime Natsu figured he would have overlooked her entirely.

This girl's Presence Concealment was truly far too thin.

But she was genuinely cute. The girl had straight-cut bangs, and her long, slate-blue hair was tied into a side ponytail, revealing her fair, delicate neck. Her deep blue eyes were kept lowered, as if she were trying her best to hide her own existence.

[Ding~]

[CG9: Vending Machine (Yamamura Miki)]

[Others' gazes have never lingered on me]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the skill card: Presence Concealment (You can eliminate your presence at any time; others will subconsciously ignore your existence)]

Oh ho!

Another top-tier skill. He hadn't expected Yamamura Miki to be this impressive; she had dropped such a powerful skill on their very first meeting.

With a skill like this, combined with his Master Thief ability, he would be practically invincible.

He could even become an expert at tailing people, silent and traceless...

Ahem...

Shikime Natsu wouldn't do anything so low-class.

"Why are you eating here all by yourself?"

Seeing the girl eating alone between the two vending machines, Shikime Natsu walked over.

After all, the text under that CG looked quite miserable, so Shikime Natsu felt it might be better to pay some attention to her.

Of course, this was also because Yamamura Miki was a beautiful girl capable of triggering a CG, and Shikime Natsu had to make sure to give her plenty of attention.

"Who is this..."

Totsuka Yahiko couldn't help but be stunned when he saw Yamamura Miki. It seemed as though there was absolutely no impression of the girl before him in his mind.

Yet... looking at Shikime Natsu's reaction, he seemed somewhat familiar with her, or at least recognized her.

"This is Yamamura Miki from our class."

Shikime Natsu slowly explained.

"Huh? A classmate?"

Totsuka Yahiko was completely shocked. Then why did he have absolutely no impression of her?

Although he had only met his classmates once or twice, he at least had some impression of them. But regarding Yamamura Miki, he couldn't recall her no matter how hard he tried.

He could even say that when they had just walked past this spot, he hadn't even realized there was someone here.

"Yes, that's right."

Shikime Natsu nodded, then shifted his gaze to Yamamura Miki.

"Yamamura, do you like eating here by yourself?"

Hearing the sudden question, Yamamura Miki's small hand holding her bread trembled slightly with unease.

"N-no... it's not that."

Perhaps because this was the first time in a long while that someone had shown her any attention, Yamamura Miki found herself feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.

"Then why not try joining Kamuro Masumi? Her temper is a bit rough, but she's a good person. Or, if you don't mind, you could join us."

Shikime Natsu continued to extend his invitation to Yamamura Miki.

"No, thank you. I'd only be a burden if I came along... and I'm not very good at talking..."

Yamamura Miki's face was full of distress. She had reflexively blurted out a refusal, even listing a series of reasons, and she was quite dissatisfied with herself for being this way.

"It's alright. Not everyone is good at talking from the start. What matters is the process; just listening from the side is fine, too."

Shikime Natsu extended the invitation once more. He could see that the girl before him possessed a strong sense of inferiority—well, she could be considered a troubled girl, but it wasn't a major issue.

Most importantly, Shikime Natsu saw the "falseness" in Yamamura Miki's refusal; this girl actually wanted to eat with them.

She was just afraid of being a burden. Well... that was kind of cute, too.

"Shikime-san is right."

"Why not try accepting the leader's invitation?"

Totsuka Yahiko and Hashimoto Masayoshi, seeing that Shikime Natsu still wanted to invite Yamamura Miki, couldn't help but chime in to help, while Katsuragi Kohei, standing to the side, also appeared to be in agreement.

"This..."

Yamamura Miki raised her head, her gaze sweeping across the group before finally landing on Shikime Natsu.

This gentleness... she found she couldn't quite bring herself to refuse it.

"Then... excuse the intrusion."

Although she wasn't a girl, well... Kamuro Masumi was a girl, and she was on such good terms with Shikime Natsu that she had called him by his first name on the very first day of school. So... it should be fine for her as well, right?

The five of them arrived at the cafeteria. There weren't many people at this hour, and there was even a queue for the free wild vegetable set meals, likely consisting of upperclassmen. It was a pity, though... there was no way to purchase information from them.

"I'm sorry, Shikime-san, it's my fault for failing the task!"

Totsuka Yahiko's gaze also fell upon those people.

"No, it has nothing to do with you. Go buy your food; that spot over there is just right."

Shikime Natsu pointed to a spot not far away where two long tables had been pushed together. Well... it counted as an eight-person table.

"Alright, let's gather back here after we've bought our food."

The cafeteria had a wide variety of dishes, ranging from cheap to expensive. Since everyone had different tastes, it was naturally impossible for them to stay together the whole time.

Soon, the group dispersed.

"Are you just going to eat bread here?"

Shikime Natsu looked at Yamamura Miki, who was already sitting there, her soft palms cradling the packaged bread as her eyes scanned the surroundings with unease.

"I'm just saving seats for you all..."

Yamamura Miki's voice was soft and anxious. This was the first time she had ever eaten with classmates, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

"You don't need to do that. Look, there are still plenty of seats here. Come on, let's go buy some food. My treat—consider it a way to make friends."

Upon hearing Yamamura Miki's words, Shikime Natsu couldn't help but show a smile. This girl was truly like a blank sheet of paper.

"No, no need. It would be a waste of your money. I'm fine with just the bread."

Yamamura Miki hurriedly shook her small head, her tone becoming slightly hurried.

"But if you only eat bread, you'll finish it very quickly, won't you? Then you'll just be sitting there waiting for us to finish our meal."

Shikime Natsu spoke up.

"It's fine, don't feel pressured. I treated Masumi to a meal yesterday, too. It's precisely because we ate together that our relationship improved. Don't you want to be friends with me, Yamamura-san?"

"No, that's not it... I... I want to be friends with Shikime-san!"

That was sincere.

Shikime Natsu nodded with great satisfaction. As expected, as long as he was a little firm with his words, the other party would obediently agree.

"That's good. Let's go. Don't worry, it won't be a waste. Using my money to make friends is well worth it."

Shikime Natsu shook his phone. He worked so hard to earn points—wasn't it all so he could collect CGs more freely?

CGs were worth far more than points.

Chapter 20: Let's Eat Together Again Later

"Do you have any leads on the mole in our class?"

Totsuka Yahiko spoke up. If it weren't for that person, his first task would have definitely been completed perfectly!

"No, I have no idea."