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

"Come to my room after school, and I'll teach you a thing or two."

"What exactly did you say to my brother?!"

Early the next morning, as soon as Shikime Natsu walked down the stairs, he saw Horikita Suzune looking quite displeased, her cold eyes fixed directly on him.

Judging by her appearance, it seemed she had been waiting for him downstairs since the crack of dawn; her persistence was truly remarkable.

At the very least, Shikime Natsu wouldn't have gone to the trouble of waiting downstairs that early.

In his opinion, such matters could easily be handled via text, as they weren't living in the Stone Age, yet he hadn't received a single message from Horikita Suzune last night.

She didn't even bother to send a message, choosing instead to just stand there waiting? It was almost foolishly cute.

"I didn't say anything much, just that your brother asked me to properly educate his good-for-nothing younger sister."

Shikime Natsu nodded, as if he had just accepted a task of immense responsibility.

"I don't need that!"

A trace of anger laced Horikita Suzune's tone. In her eyes, this guy must have whispered something in her brother's ear; otherwise, her brother would never have agreed to such a thing.

Even if she was considered a failure in her brother's eyes, to Horikita Suzune, she treated everyone in the school—except for her brother—with the same cold indifference.

Horikita Suzune couldn't quite understand it. Whether it was her grades or her physical fitness, she was quite outstanding among the girls, so why did her brother still refuse to acknowledge her?

Instead, he acknowledged this annoying guy.

This guy had taken a total of 61,000 private points from her hands; it was truly hateful!

"So, are you saying you don't intend to listen to your brother?"

Shikime Natsu looked completely indifferent.

Upon hearing his words, Horikita Suzune couldn't help but be struck dumb. She had always hoped to gain her brother's recognition and follow in his footsteps, so... could she really ignore his words?

Well, of course not, but... what could this guy in front of her possibly help her with? At most, he was just good at running his mouth.

"Do you know what your brother actually said?"

Shikime Natsu stepped forward, ignoring Horikita Suzune trailing behind him. He knew that as long as he mentioned Horikita Manabu, she would follow.

Sure enough, Horikita Suzune followed. Tsk, what a troublesome brother-complex, Shikime Natsu thought, feeling quite displeased. If she was going to have a complex, it should be for him, not her brother; that needed to change.

"What did my brother say to you?"

Horikita Suzune's tone remained cold.

"That's premium content."

Shikime Natsu flashed a smile at her. That smile would likely have made thousands of girls swoon elsewhere, but in Horikita Suzune's eyes, she wanted nothing more than to give this guy a good beating. He was really pushing his luck.

Why didn't he just ask for money every time he looked at her? How could someone be so shameless?

"Forget it, I can see you don't have many points left, so I'll give it to you for free. Just remember to trade with me again once you have money."

Shikime Natsu chuckled as if he were joking. If Horikita Manabu found out he had been constantly taking money from his sister's pocket, would he try to make things difficult for him?

No, that wasn't right. He hadn't joined the Student Council, so even if someone were to be targeted, it would be Katsuragi Kohei.

What a truly shameless thing to say. Do I have to thank you for that?

Horikita Suzune didn't speak, continuing to stare at Shikime Natsu with icy eyes. This guy really did talk too much.

"Good morning, Horikita."

"Mo... morning."

She had expected Shikime Natsu to reveal what her brother said, but instead, he just greeted her? Could this guy's behavior be any more illogical?

Of course, she had to respond, otherwise this guy... Horikita Suzune thought of something unpleasant.

"Your brother said that choosing this school was your mistake because, from beginning to end, you have never realized your own shortcomings and lack independent growth."

Hearing this, Horikita Suzune's brow furrowed even deeper. What shortcomings did she have?

Whether it was academics or sports, she was at the top tier. And as for independent growth, she had been on her own since kindergarten; wasn't that independent enough?

"What does that mean?"

Horikita Suzune could never quite grasp it. Her brother's words were always so complex that she couldn't understand them, so she turned her gaze toward Shikime Natsu. Since her brother had said this to him, he must know something.

"Hm? You don't even know that?"

Shikime Natsu looked at her with feigned surprise, though it was quite normal. If Horikita Suzune really knew, she probably wouldn't be acting like this...?

Well, that deserved a question mark, as knowing and changing were two different things.

"Do you even know your own shortcomings?"

Horikita Suzune's clear, cold eyes stared straight at Shikime Natsu, and even when their gazes met, she didn't show the slightest intention of looking away.

"Of course I do. My shortcoming is that I'm not perfect."

Shikime Natsu nodded. Especially on the path of collecting CGs, which was incredibly difficult. His cheat code didn't give him any hints, so he had no choice but to figure it out on his own.

"By your logic, my shortcoming is also that I'm not perfect. Aside from my brother, who is perfect?"

Horikita Suzune crossed her arms and looked at Shikime Natsu coldly. This guy was spouting nonsense again.

"How do you interpret the difference between being aloof and being lonely?"

Shikime Natsu ignored Horikita Suzune and continued speaking. To be fair, reciting the lines Horikita Manabu had given him was quite easy, though that guy had only provided two sentences; the rest he essentially had to improvise himself.

"Are you trying to say my methods are wrong? Are you denying everything I've experienced up to this point?"

For some reason, Horikita Suzune seemed to have had a breakthrough, instantly grasping what Shikime Natsu was hinting at. It was nothing more than what she had said yesterday—that she had been alone since kindergarten. This behavior wasn't the kind of "aloofness" her brother spoke of, but rather loneliness.

"No, I'm not the one denying it. Your brother is."

Shikime Natsu shook his head.

Upon hearing Shikime Natsu's words, Horikita Suzune was visibly shaken. If Shikime Natsu had said this to her on his own, she would have argued her case, but coming from her brother, it was a different matter entirely.

Of course, different or not, Horikita Suzune still couldn't understand. She had been working hard to follow in her brother's footsteps, so why couldn't he acknowledge her?

"Horikita, you went to the Student Council office with me, didn't you?"

Shikime Natsu watched Horikita Suzune's dazed expression and continued.

"Then... didn't you notice anything different?"

"Your brother has a reliable secretary by his side, someone he can even communicate with just by exchanging glances. Do you have anyone like that?"

"Student Council work is a team effort. You can't handle everything on your own. But look at your side—is there anyone there? Your brother has never lacked supporters, but what about you?"

"Aloofness and loneliness are never the same thing."

Shikime Natsu continued to use the power of his words to rattle Horikita Suzune.

"This..."

These words were likely difficult for Horikita Suzune to accept all at once.

"So, learning to get along with others is a mandatory course for you. Don't worry, since I've accepted this request, I will naturally help you. In this school, you're currently most familiar with me, right?"

Shikime Natsu looked at Horikita Suzune.

Although she didn't want to admit it, it was the truth. In the current Class D, she was all alone. As for Kushida Kikyo, she... Horikita Suzune nodded.

"Good. Wait for me downstairs at the dormitory after school. I'll come by then. Let's start by practicing how to be friends with me."

Having reached the academic building, Shikime Natsu headed toward Class A.

"I didn't expect the leader to actually secure a spot in the Student Council. That's truly impressive."

At lunch, the group gathered together again, and Hashimoto Masayoshi couldn't help but exclaim. It seemed there was nothing Shikime Natsu couldn't accomplish.

"Shikime-san, tell us quickly, how did you get that spot in the Student Council?"

Totsuka Yahiko was quite curious, and his question drew the attention of many others, even Katsuragi Kohei, who cast his gaze over.

At the time, Shikime Natsu had only told him that he had handled the Student Council matter, but he hadn't shared the specifics of the process or how he had obtained the position.

Did he spend one million private points to buy it?

But... that didn't seem right, considering Shikime Natsu's one million points had long since been distributed.

If it were just one person, they definitely couldn't scrape together that many points.

Was it another case of "borrowing a chicken to lay eggs"?

"If it's you, you should have the ability to enter the Student Council directly, right?"

Kamuro Masumi looked at Shikime Natsu, her purple eyes filled with a hint of certainty.

In Kamuro Masumi's view, although this guy was a bit unreliable, he definitely had the talent. Whether it was identifying the school's hidden rules on the very first day and knowing how to avoid point deductions, or using the "borrowing a chicken to lay eggs" strategy, it all proved Shikime Natsu's excellence. And... well, he wasn't someone you could hate.

Kamuro Masumi remembered that Student Council work required a certain level of interpersonal skills. Shikime Natsu would certainly have no problem with that; he could even get along well with people like her... and Yamamura Miki.

"Not bad, Masumi really understands me. I asked the president who among the first-years was the most suitable, and the president said it was only me."

Shikime Natsu nodded. Although it sounded a bit narcissistic, it was the truth. That was exactly what Horikita Manabu had said.

"As expected of the leader (Shikime-san)!"

Hashimoto Masayoshi and Totsuka Yahiko said in unison.

Upon hearing this, Katsuragi Kohei glanced at Shikime Natsu and nodded. If anyone among the first-years in this school could join the Student Council, it was indeed only Shikime Natsu.

Not being able to compare to Shikime Natsu wasn't something to be ashamed of.

This school sorted students into classes based on their abilities, with Class A being the best, and Shikime Natsu being the most outstanding student in Class A—that was perfectly normal.

However... Katsuragi Kohei hadn't expected the Student Council to be so difficult to enter that only Shikime Natsu met the requirements.

"By the way, Katsuragi, the president has already told you about the Student Council work, right?"

Shikime Natsu's gaze fell upon Katsuragi Kohei.

"Yes, everything has been explained."

Katsuragi Kohei nodded. The Student Council work didn't seem very complicated; compared to the requirements for joining, it could even be considered overly simple.