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

Yamauchi Haruki nodded.

"Then... excuse us, we'll be heading off now."

Shikime Natsu cast a faint glance at the group before walking away. He could guarantee that the earlier incident wouldn't be classified as violence; after all, the tennis ball had merely "accidentally" flown over, neither party involved felt slighted, and he had never once admitted it was intentional.

Therefore, it could only be dismissed as an accidental mishap.

"Totsuka, give it your all."

Shikime Natsu looked at Totsuka Yahiko and gave him a word of advice.

"Yeah, leave it to me!"

Totsuka Yahiko nodded.

"Thank you."

Kamuro Masumi spoke up as she looked at Shikime Natsu. This time, her voice was significantly louder than when she had said thank you the first time. Of course, it might also be because this expression of gratitude didn't quite fit her usual persona, causing a flush of red to appear on Kamuro Masumi's fair, delicate cheeks.

"You're welcome. After all, you're my desk mate; I won't just let others talk bad about you."

Shikime Natsu nodded with a smile. If he were to ask, "Why is your face so red?" at a moment like this, he would likely be on the receiving end of a fierce beating from the girl.

Hearing those words from Shikime Natsu, Kamuro Masumi felt her heart skip a beat.

"Did that line earn me some bonus points?"

Shikime Natsu looked at Kamuro Masumi with a playful grin.

"Zero points!"

Kamuro Masumi looked at Shikime Natsu, feeling a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. The atmosphere had been perfectly fine, yet he just had to say something like that. For a moment, she couldn't tell if Shikime Natsu was genuinely dense or just pretending. The girl's face was flushed deep red, looking like an enticing apple that one couldn't help but want to take a bite of.

Shikime Natsu simply smiled and didn't say anything more. He wanted to maintain this status quo; if he wanted to collect all the CGs, he couldn't just focus his offensive on one girl.

[Ding~]

[CG14: Side by Side (Kamuro Masumi)]

[What an annoying guy... What kind of person am I in his eyes?]

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the item card: Lucky Hairpin (A hairpin that brings good luck; meeting you is luck in itself)]

Was this an item card, something he hadn't seen in a long time? But... a Lucky Hairpin? He couldn't exactly use this himself. Was he supposed to wear this hairpin to class?

His prestige as a leader would surely plummet instantly.

He could already imagine quite a few people looking at him with extremely strange expressions.

If he were to give this hairpin to Kamuro Masumi now, how would she react?

Would she suspect he had ulterior motives? Or perhaps...

Forget it. At the very least, now wasn't the right time. Either Christmas or her birthday would be the most appropriate occasions.

"By the way, Masumi, when is your birthday?"

Shikime Natsu looked casually at Kamuro Masumi beside him.

"Why are you asking that?"

Kamuro Masumi looked at Shikime Natsu, her tone slightly tense.

"To get you a gift."

Shikime Natsu stated his reason quite bluntly. Once the reason was out, the girl was left momentarily speechless, though that was quite normal—what else would someone ask a birthday for?

"February 20th. What about yours?"

Kamuro Masumi glanced at Shikime Natsu.

"I don't want to owe anyone any favors."

Worried that Shikime Natsu might overthink it, the girl added a small clarification.

"April 1st."

Hmm, both of their birthdays had already passed. The girl felt a slight sense of disappointment; she had originally thought she might be able to celebrate Shikime Natsu's birthday first, but it seemed her own birthday came earlier.

What did this guy like?

Kamuro Masumi wanted to know. At least for now, based on what Shikime Natsu had shown her, he seemed only interested in food, and... well, cute girls?

Thinking of all the cute girls Shikime Natsu knew, Kamuro Masumi couldn't quite put it into words, but she felt a strange, rather uncomfortable sensation in her heart.

But she and Shikime Natsu were just ordinary classmates—no, ordinary desk mates—so she couldn't really say anything.

Kamuro Masumi gave up on overthinking it. There was still a year of school left to spend together; she would eventually figure out what this guy truly liked.

Of course, the gift he gave her had better be something that made her happy, otherwise, he shouldn't expect a birthday gift in return. As long as the gift wasn't something bizarre, she felt she could accept it.

Speaking of gifts, Kamuro Masumi suddenly thought of Christmas in December. She would have to prepare a gift again... what should that gift be?

Just like that, the two walked until they reached the dormitory building, taking the elevator up to their respective floors.

Shikime Natsu lay on his bed, feeling the softness against his back. It felt as though all the fatigue from the day had dissolved, which was quite comfortable.

Today's haul was 2 CGs. Hmm... that was quite a bit less than the previous two days. But that was perfectly normal; if CGs were easy to collect, Shikime Natsu would have been invincible long ago.

As time ticked by, Shikime Natsu noticed a notification on his phone.

It was from Sakayanagi Arisu.

A maid outfit?!

Shikime Natsu felt a slight surge of excitement. He had only ever seen such attire in maid cafes, but... none of them had ever piqued his interest. However, if it were that brat Sakayanagi Arisu wearing one, Shikime Natsu was definitely intrigued.

He took a quick look around his room. It was pitifully sparse, with absolutely nothing for Sakayanagi Arisu to tidy up. He figured he would just have to make her give him a massage or something... which was also quite a nice prospect.

Opening the door, Shikime Natsu saw Sakayanagi Arisu standing in front of his dorm room holding a bag.

"Good evening, Shikime-san~"

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled softly, still dressed in her school uniform.

"Are you disappointed that it isn't a maid outfit at first glance?"

To be honest, he was quite disappointed.

"No, not at all."

Shikime Natsu shook his head.

"Then... excuse me."

Sakayanagi Arisu walked into Shikime Natsu's room quite naturally, seemingly not worried in the slightest that he might do something untoward to her.

Of course, she had no reason to worry; after all... she was merely a frail girl. If things got even slightly intense, it could cost her her life, which was exactly why Sakayanagi Arisu felt so secure.

"I've changed. Does it look alright?"

[Ding~]

[CG15: Maid Outfit (Sakayanagi Arisu)]

[A maid outfit should be enough to lower this guy's guard, right?]

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining the skill card: Mind Interference (Disrupts the target's thoughts, making it impossible for them to think clearly. Duration: 20 minutes)]

Chapter 38: What if I said your abilities were mediocre too?

He could only say that as expected of Sakayanagi Arisu, the skills she provided were always so aggressive. It was just that...

Shikime Natsu stared at the text on the CG. Lower his guard?

What was this girl planning?

It seemed she was quite the restless soul.

Shikime Natsu's gaze fell back onto Sakayanagi Arisu. She was now wearing a maid outfit, but it was vastly different from the ones he was familiar with. Aside from her small, cute face, not a single inch of skin was exposed; she was wrapped up completely from head to toe.

It was pretty, sure, but it definitely lacked a bit of visual impact.

"Does it look good?"

Sakayanagi Arisu stood before Shikime Natsu and raised her arms slightly. She didn't spin around, as such wide movements were quite inconvenient for her in her current state. Besides... doing such a thing in front of Shikime Natsu would be far too humiliating.

"I have to say, Sakayanagi, your taste is a bit lacking. If it were me, I wouldn't have chosen this set."

Shikime Natsu stroked his chin, appraising her. Looking at her like this, he felt that it was indeed missing quite a few things—at the very least, it wasn't enough to make him freeze up at first sight.

"Ara, I did invite you to choose, but unfortunately... you didn't agree."

Sakayanagi Arisu noticed the slight disappointment in Shikime Natsu's eyes and couldn't help but smile. She would never actually wear one of those revealing maid outfits for him to see. If she ever did that, she might as well vanish from this world.

"My room is quite clean, so you don't need to tidy up. Come over and give me a massage."

Shikime Natsu didn't stand on ceremony at all, sitting directly in his chair and waiting for her to come over.

This was the agreement they had made earlier, and he felt no embarrassment about it whatsoever.

Sakayanagi Arisu leaned in with a smile, though a few dangerous glints flashed in her purple eyes.

This guy actually dared to make her do something like this?

She had assumed he would just have her clean his room as a symbolic gesture, but she never expected him to demand a massage.

If Shikime Natsu ever fell into her hands... Sakayanagi Arisu was already contemplating how best to take her revenge.

Shikime Natsu leaned back in his chair, feeling quite comfortable. He wasn't the least bit worried that she might suddenly pull a kitchen knife out from under her maid outfit; he had only done a small thing, after all, not enough to make her fly into a rage.

Just then, he felt a warmth spreading across his shoulders. The heat from Sakayanagi Arisu's palms seeped through his uniform and onto his skin. They said a girl's hands were always cold, but hers were quite warm. Had she warmed them up on purpose, knowing she was going to massage him?

"Use a bit more pressure. This doesn't feel like a massage at all."

Shikime Natsu closed his eyes, feeling the pressure on his shoulders. If Sakayanagi Arisu were working as a masseuse, she would be completely unqualified; even if she were walking on his back, people would probably complain that she was too light.

"Okay~"

When Sakayanagi Arisu said this, her tone seemed to carry a deep sense of resentment. If looks could kill, Shikime Natsu felt he would have been riddled with holes by now.

To be honest, the pressure still wasn't enough, but he didn't push her any further. Her health was poor to begin with, and if she used too much force, who knew what might happen.

"By the way, Shikime-san, what do you think of the other students in our class?"

About five minutes had passed, and Sakayanagi Arisu felt her arms growing sore, but the damn guy in front of her didn't know how to be considerate at all, showing no intention of letting her stop for a rest.