Classroom of the Elite, but It's a Diary Style 6

The position of leader he had just sat in was far from secure.

His right hand reached gently into his sleeve, his fingertips gave a slight turn, and a dark shadow was tossed from his hand.

Asakusa Toru said softly, "Because I paid a deposit."

That's right, he had pulled out another Voice Recorder and tossed it to Ryuen Kakeru.

Catching the Voice Recorder once again, Ryuen Kakeru lowered his head to look at the screen lighting up with the recording status, his hand gripping the device tightening instinctively.

The hard casing pressed into the flesh of his palm, and a faint sting of pain surged up from his hand.

"Good, very good, a fine deposit indeed." Raising his head again, this time, the look in Ryuen Kakeru's eyes as he gazed at Asakusa Toru had changed completely.

Although he didn't know where this guy got so many Voice Recorders to squander, he could feel from the attitude he was currently displaying that this guy had no intention of trying to manipulate him with the recordings.

"Ishizaki, take everyone to the entrance ceremony." Without looking back, Ryuen Kakeru gave the order.

"Ah, but... no, it's nothing." Ishizaki Daichi had originally wanted to say something, but after a moment of thought, he swallowed his words back down.

The atmosphere didn't seem like the kind where he could interject, and more importantly, the attitude of their homeroom teacher... it clearly didn't look like an attitude where he could offer an opinion here.

Although the time they had spent in contact was short, Ishizaki Daichi could actually, surprisingly, tell what kind of person their homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma, was.

Well... it wasn't that early anyway, it was just going to the gymnasium a little bit ahead of schedule.

Soon, under the leadership of Ishizaki Daichi, only three people remained in the Class 1-C classroom.

Asakusa Toru, Ryuen Kakeru, and Sakagami Kazuma.

That's right, Sakagami Kazuma, as the homeroom teacher, had no intention of taking the students to the gymnasium, choosing instead to remain on the scene.

Because he judged that he had a necessity to do so.

Chapter 10: Give me money, let me bleed you dry, be my tool

"Speak, then. About your so-called 'transaction'." Sitting quite unceremoniously on someone's desk, Ryuen Kakeru crossed his legs and spread his hands toward Asakusa Toru: "If you can't say anything interesting, I won't be returning the 'deposit'."

The value of a single Voice Recorder wasn't exactly cheap; even with one hundred thousand points deposited into his account every month, it wasn't something to be squandered.

Moreover, Ryuen Kakeru never believed from the start that he would steadily receive one hundred thousand points every month.

"Full tuition waiver, 100% employment and advancement rate, one hundred thousand personal points per month... Ryuen, do you think you deserve it?" Asakusa Toru didn't get straight to the point, but instead asked such a question in return.

But before Ryuen Kakeru could give an answer, he provided the answer himself:

"No, you don't."

"You don't deserve shit," he said.

"You, who only knows how to use low-life tactics and rely on violent thinking to do dirty work, don't deserve shit."

"...Are you provoking me?" Ryuen Kakeru uncrossed his legs, revealing a fierce glare.

Asakusa Toru spread his hands: "I'm just stating facts. Let alone you, there are hardly a few people in this school who naturally deserve this kind of treatment."

"If you think about it carefully, you should know how much dissonance there is in all of this, right?"

"It's just that with the 'government' backing it, most people's doubts have turned into unwavering trust. 'Perhaps the government sees some talent in me that I can't see myself,' or 'Although I don't seem to be of much use, I'll just accept such a good deal for now'."

Ryuen Kakeru raised an eyebrow: "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm here to tell you the truth about this school." Asakusa Toru grinned: "And in exchange, you have to agree to two conditions."

Ryuen Kakeru: "Speak."

"First, I find Laipi She quite annoying. Your tactics and strategies are your own business, but don't let them stick to me." Asakusa Toru held up his index finger and then waved his hand casually: "Actually, it's not that I can't do some pest control, but I thought about it and it feels like a hassle. Plus, I think that aside from the Laipi She bit, you're actually not bad—it's just a pity you're a guy."

Otherwise, who knows, he might have ended up in a heroine position.

Well, looking at Ryuen's role in the original work, he actually has a feeling of being more of a heroine than the actual heroines.

"Don't disgust me." Ryuen Kakeru made a face as if he were about to vomit, "I'll kill you."

Shrugging his shoulders, Asakusa Toru held up his second finger: "Second, choose one of three: give me money, let me bleed you dry, or be my tool."

"First is the money: two million points, flat rate. It doesn't matter if you collect it from the people in the class or find another way, I just want the money." Ignoring the expression on Ryuen Kakeru's face that looked like he wanted to curse, Asakusa Toru continued on his own: "Second, a commission. It's not high, just 25%, continuous blood-sucking."

"Of course, you probably won't understand it phrased like that, so I'll give you a piece of information in advance."

"You should also have questions about the 'monthly' 'one hundred thousand points', right?" Asakusa Toru paused and said: "You guessed right, this number is not fixed."

"As for how exactly it changes, I'll talk about that later. What you need to know now is that if you choose to let me bleed you dry, then from now on, 25% of everyone's income in Class C will have to be handed over to me."

"Are you insane?" Ryuen Kakeru finally couldn't help but interrupt Asakusa Toru's incessant rambling.

"Don't be impatient." Asakusa Toru smiled: "I haven't added the limiting conditions yet."

"It's limited to 25% of the points changed through the information I provide. Thinking about it that way, doesn't it seem like a good deal?"

He spread his hands: "After all, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't be able to change anything, would you?"

Actually, Asakusa Toru was a bit hesitant about whether to throw this option to Ryuen.

It wasn't because the blood-sucking percentage was set too low, but because the point of 'whether or not it changes' is actually very difficult to judge.

If this special exam regarding 'basic student aptitude' that started from the moment of enrollment were a bonus-based system, it might be easier to talk about, but unfortunately, it is a deduction-based system.

It is difficult to have an accurate standard to judge how many 'class points' Class C could obtain through his information.

Yet, he still voiced this option.

Because Asakusa Toru knew very well that Ryuen would never choose this.

"Rejected. Give me the last one, quickly." Without hesitation, Ryuen urged him.

"Look, you're impatient again." Ryuen's reaction was exactly as expected. The result, unfolding just as he had anticipated, put Asakusa Toru in a much better mood. He glanced at the clock, which seemed to be nearing the time for the entrance ceremony, and stated the final option: "The third one: become my tool. Whatever I tell you to do, you follow instructions without asking for reasons or questioning me."

"However, only once."

"That's a very lenient condition, isn't it?" After speaking, Asakusa Toru glanced at Sakagami Kazuma, who had begun to pay attention to the time nearby.

The timing he had chosen to negotiate with Ryuen was poor; to be precise, it was very poor for Sakagami Kazuma, the homeroom teacher.

As students, he and Ryuen could choose to skip the entrance ceremony. In reality, aside from students who hadn't yet stepped into society, no one would care whether or not they attended such an event.

If they didn't go, it would at most result in a few reprimands, or perhaps a deduction of a few class points.

But if Sakagami Kazuma, the homeroom teacher, were to be absent, the consequences would likely be quite severe.

At the very least, a scathing verbal lashing from his superiors would be unavoidable.

That was why he was now checking the time so frequently.

Yet, he could not interrupt the negotiation between him and Ryuen on the spot, nor could he simply leave early to head to the entrance ceremony.

The reason was simple.

Sakagami Kazuma judged that the impact of this deal on the future development of Class C was unimaginable; he had to be present.

As long as they could receive the full scope of the school's rules from Asakusa Toru's mouth and start ahead of the pack from the very first day, with a leader like Ryuen who had dominated Class C on day one, it wasn't impossible for First-Year Class C to rise to Class A.

The only factor to be concerned about was perhaps Asakusa Toru's identity.

This was the very thing he couldn't understand.

First-Year Class B.

If he clearly understood the nature of this school and knew the truth behind the classes and points, why would he act as if he were supporting Class C?

Was he not afraid that Class C would climb up and drag Class B down?

Sakagami Kazuma was completely baffled.

"..." Glancing at the time again and listening to the riddled-with-loopholes conditions that Asakusa Toru had proposed—conditions that barely even qualified as terms—Sakagami Kazuma almost couldn't help but speak up to warn Ryuen.

As long as he didn't choose the points, any of them would be fine.

He could always play favorites anyway.

Chapter 11: Sakagami Kazuma is Uneasy

"I choose one."

While Asakusa Toru was observing Sakagami Kazuma, Ryuen Kakeru was actually observing his own homeroom teacher as well.

He knew very well that compared to a guy like Asakusa Toru, the homeroom teacher definitely understood the nature of this school much better.

But he hadn't said anything, or rather... he couldn't say anything.

That was why this guy Sakagami had remained silent while he was taking control of the class, and why he had stayed put without a word when Asakusa Toru proposed the deal.

He couldn't speak, but he could hint.

Even without saying a word, he could convey enough information through subtle gestures and expressions.

Just like now, even as the time for the entrance ceremony drew closer and closer, he remained here.

Thus, Ryuen Kakeru made his choice without hesitation.

"Two million, you know?"

Although he wore a look of surprise on the surface, Asakusa Toru wasn't actually surprised by Ryuen's choice.

He wouldn't accept being a parasite feeding on Class C, even if it was only 25%, and he wouldn't accept becoming his tool, even if it was just for one time.

Well, actually, if he had known the difference between class points and personal points from the start, he might have chosen the second option.

But he didn't know.

So, this choice was expected from the very beginning.

"You'd better pray your information is worth that price." Ryuen said coldly.

"Of course." As he spoke, Asakusa Toru snapped his fingers: "Come on, Sakagami-ko, draft a contract."

What kind of nickname is Sakagami-ko...

Sakagami Kazuma really wanted to retort, but on the surface, he maintained his expressionless face.

"Show some respect to your teacher." Shaking his head, he took out his Personal Terminal and skillfully drafted a clearly worded contract on it.

Still, he chose one, huh?

Actually, if it were the figure of two million, it already met the standard for extracting information directly from a teacher's mouth.

If it were just a trade of points for information, Sakagami Kazuma might have chosen to speak up and warn Ryuen.

But the conditions of the contract were not just about the points.

And in a certain sense, there was also 'Condition One', which was equivalent to a peace treaty.

It was precisely because of the existence of this condition that Sakagami Kazuma chose to remain silent.

"Confirm it, then follow me." Casually handing the terminal to Ryuen, Sakagami Kazuma turned and walked out of the classroom.

"What are we doing? What are we doing?" Asakusa Toru, who had no intention of checking the contract at all, followed right in Sakagami Kazuma's footsteps and asked in a very noisy manner.

Sakagami Kazuma said in an annoyed tone:

"Printing the contract!"

When the names of Asakusa Toru and Ryuen Kakeru were written on their respective ends of the contract, the deal reached under the witness of Sakagami Kazuma was officially concluded as a contract.

That said, they had no way to leisurely trade information on the spot.

Because, right now, Sakagami Kazuma was dragging the two of them along in a desperate sprint.

"You don't have to be in such a hurry, Sakagami-chin." Asakusa Toru, who was being dragged along by Sakagami, said without even catching his breath: "Even if we miss the entrance ceremony, it won't deduct that many points."

The nickname had changed again.

Having no time to correct the ever-changing titles Asakusa Toru used, Sakagami Kazuma said in a low voice:

"But I'll get scolded!"

He certainly didn't want to be the first homeroom teacher to be absent from the entrance ceremony!

"Then you could also just let me and Dragon boy communicate alone, you know?"

Being called by such a strange nickname by Asakusa Toru, Ryuen's expression immediately turned ugly. He frowned deeply and said coldly: "Don't call me by weird nicknames."

"If there's a next time, I'll kill you even if it means tearing up the contract."