Classroom of the Elite, After the Intel Refreshed, They Always Want to Conquer Me! Chapter 10

"If you really can't figure it out, you can spend points to buy the answer from me." Shimizu Akira leaned in slightly, lowering his voice to a volume only the two of them could hear. "I can give you a twenty percent discount; I guarantee it'll be worth every point."

"Not necessary!" Horikita Suzune rejected him almost reflexively, her voice carrying an unquestionable firmness. "I can figure it out on my own."

This proud deskmate of his had absolute confidence in her own intelligence.

Information like this usually required extensive socializing to uncover, and with Horikita's "keep-away" personality...

Shimizu Akira couldn't help but imagine her trying to pry information out of the upperclassmen—that icy attitude alone would be enough to make anyone steer clear.

If social methods were off the table, even he would struggle to find another way to uncover the hidden rules.

The morning classes began on schedule.

Shimizu Akira opened his brand-new textbook, his fingertips brushing lightly against the pages.

Although his grades in his previous life were decent, the Japanese education system was a different beast entirely.

Math and English were fine, as formulas and grammar were universal.

But when the Japanese literature teacher began explaining classical grammar, his brow furrowed involuntarily.

"In this passage of The Pillow Book, Sei Shonagon employs a unique rhetorical device..."

The teacher's voice on the podium gradually faded into a blurred background noise.

Shimizu Akira stared at the dense annotations in the textbook, feeling as though every kanji was dancing before his eyes.

He subconsciously rubbed his temples, a subtle movement that did not escape the gaze of his neighbor.

"Heh~"

(Am I being laughed at?)

When the lunch bell finally rang, the classroom erupted into chaos.

"Want to head to the cafeteria together?" A sunny, handsome boy stood in the middle of the aisle, extending an invitation with a smile.

Shimizu Akira recognized him instantly as the core figure of Class D, Hirata Yosuke—a piece of information Ike Kanji had told him personally just yesterday.

"Sure! Let's go, Hirata-kun!" Several boys responded enthusiastically.

(Come to think of it, there's also a group of gyaru led by Karuizawa Kei that's quite eye-catching.)

Shimizu Akira searched through the fragments of his memory, his gaze drifting toward the other side of the classroom.

017 In the end, Karuizawa Kei gave up on Hirata Yosuke.

"Sure, sure~"

Accompanied by a frivolous yet pleasant tone, a girl with a brown ponytail rose lightly from her seat and naturally merged into the group.

She had an exquisite doll-like face, but what stood out most was her unique honey-colored skin—as if she had just returned from a vacation in Hawaii, or perhaps she was simply born with the scent of sunshine.

Karuizawa Kei, the core of the Class D gyaru group.

She toyed with the ends of her hair, her uniform skirt swaying gently with her steps, and she radiated an aura that was both flamboyant and sweet.

(This tan skin... did she get it on purpose?)

However, Shimizu Akira's gaze shifted to his third piece of intelligence.

[Intelligence 3: Karuizawa Kei of Class 1-D is looking for a "fake boyfriend" to act as a protective umbrella.]

(Wait... could it be that Karuizawa Kei has her eyes on Hirata-kun?)

Shimizu Akira suddenly realized something, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.

Thinking about it, it actually made perfect sense—during every class earlier, Hirata had been actively raising his hand to answer questions, displaying exceptional knowledge.

(He's practically an all-rounder...)

From his appearance to his abilities, he was flawless. Hirata Yosuke was like the perfect male lead walking out of a school manga—handsome looks, excellent grades, a gentle personality; even yesterday, after Shimizu Akira left, it was he who stepped up to organize the self-introduction session.

A hexagonal warrior, Hirata Yosuke!

(No wonder even the leader of the gyaru group would look at him differently.)

(Though, Karuizawa Kei's motives don't seem entirely pure.)

To be honest, he found it hard to understand the logic behind this intelligence.

In the class ecosystem, the gyaru group had always been a "Tier 0" existence, right alongside the delinquents.

These people should be thanking their lucky stars if they weren't bullying others; why would they need to seek protection?

(Unless... Karuizawa Kei has gotten herself into some kind of trouble?)

(But that has nothing to do with me.)

Although he wasn't sure what kind of image he had in the eyes of his classmates, Shimizu Akira knew one thing—based on his current performance in class, he was just an ordinary student.

(Shimizu Akira... is definitely not an ordinary student.)

Karuizawa Kei used the motion of tucking her hair behind her ear to sweep a glance toward Shimizu Akira in the corner of the classroom.

She quickly withdrew her gaze, a flippant smile playing on her lips as she continued discussing lunch options with Hirata Yosuke.

"I heard the ramen set at the cafeteria is quite good," she said, her voice light and airy.

In truth, ever since school started yesterday, this boy named Shimizu had piqued her interest.

While everyone else was busy making new friends, he was the only one who had chased out of the classroom alone to intercept their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae.

(The way Chabashira-sensei treated him... it was just too intriguing.)

Karuizawa Kei's thoughts drifted back to the entrance ceremony held yesterday morning.

She remembered clearly that before Shimizu Akira arrived late, another boy had rushed into the formation in a panic—Chabashira-sensei had merely glanced at him coldly, not even bothering to scold him.

But when Shimizu Akira showed up right at the deadline, everything changed.

Chabashira Sae's attitude toward him wasn't harsh; it even carried a hint of imperceptible compromise.

What was even more abnormal was that she had actually signaled for Shimizu Akira to stand at the very front of the formation—the prominent spot that should have belonged to the class representative or a top student.

(If she hates someone, she ignores them completely, but to pay special attention... that often implies a more complex reason.)

Karuizawa Kei's grades and athletic ability might only be at an average level, but when it came to "interpersonal relationships," she had suffered a major setback due to her dark history in middle school, which made her observe others much more closely when she spoke to them.

Because if she didn't, she feared she would lose her "gal" label entirely.

Overall, in her eyes, Shimizu Akira was already a figure on the same level as Hirata Yosuke.

"Karuizawa-san? Are you listening?" Hirata's gentle voice pulled her back to reality.

"Ah, sorry." She blinked. "I was just thinking about something."

"By the way, if a conflict were to happen between classmates, and one of the parties was someone you knew, how would you handle it?" Karuizawa Kei tossed the topic out as if it were casual.

"Well..." Hirata thought for a moment, revealing a gentle smile. "I would handle it fairly. After all, we are all classmates; I wouldn't take sides with anyone."

"As expected of Hirata-kun, you're so impartial," the boy next to them immediately chimed in.

"Yeah, you really are so kind," Karuizawa Kei echoed with a light laugh.

But a ripple stirred within her heart.

A "good guy" who doesn't take sides with anyone?

This answer made her feel inexplicably disappointed.

Although Hirata's impartial personality was indeed perfect, given her own nature, she hoped more for a friend who would stand by her side at critical moments.

In a romantic relationship, she also hoped her future boyfriend would be a "selfish" person.

What she craved was exclusive tenderness, something that would make her feel like she was a unique existence.

Because at her core, Karuizawa Kei was a girl who lacked a sense of security to an extreme degree.

(As I thought... should I really let that guy named Shimizu Akira play the role of my "fake boyfriend"?)

(But if I choose Hirata-kun...)

With his "good guy" personality, if he knew about what she had gone through in middle school, he would surely agree to act as her "fake boyfriend" without hesitation, right?

After all, he was the type of person who would protect others unconditionally.

However—

(If I switch to Shimizu Akira...)

Her throat tightened slightly, and a sense of uncertain anxiety spread through her chest.

(Would he really be willing?)

When it came down to it, they were just ordinary classmates, not even friends, as the two of them hadn't spoken a single word to each other.

Even if she laid all her weaknesses and ugliness out before him, why would he take on such trouble for her? Sympathy? Pity? Or perhaps...

(He wouldn't care at all?)

The image of Shimizu Akira dealing with Yamauchi Haruki in a clean, decisive manner flashed through her mind—that unhesitating posture stood in stark contrast to Hirata Yosuke's forever gentle and restrained demeanor.

(If it were him...)

She could almost imagine the scene: if she were "fake dating" Hirata Yosuke and one day she really got into a conflict with another student, and Hirata still wore that perfect smile and said, "Everyone, let's get along"—just imagining it made her chest feel stifled.

(This kind of "central air conditioning" style of kindness... I guess I'll pass!)

Karuizawa Kei took a deep breath.

(Decided.)

(I'll choose Shimizu Akira.)

Karuizawa Kei suddenly realized a more realistic problem.

(So, is there anything about me... that could attract him?)

018 Bringing the beer back again? / A chance encounter with Ichinose Honami

Today's lunch is the signature tonkotsu ramen with bone broth.

Shimizu Akira had always been fond of Japanese ramen, especially the rich, mellow broth paired with firm, springy thin noodles.

The shop had thoughtfully added tender fish cakes and vibrant green spinach as toppings; the sight of the emerald leaves peeking out from the thick soup was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

Just as Shimizu Akira was about to pick up his chopsticks to dig in, an uninvited guest took a seat across from him.

"I'm not drinking this, take it back." The purple-haired girl spoke up abruptly.

Kamuro Masumi was currently pushing a bulging plastic bag toward him.

Through the semi-transparent plastic, one could clearly see rows of beer cans neatly arranged inside.

Shimizu Akira raised an eyebrow as he examined her. "Could it be that you find the alcohol content too low?"

"That is not the point at all!" Kamuro Masumi's voice rose sharply, causing a few people at the neighboring tables to glance over.

"I have something to ask you. Which class are you in? What is your name?" She leaned forward slightly. "And why do you know my class and my name?"

Shimizu Akira took a slow sip of his soup before answering in a leisurely tone: "Class 1-D, Shimizu Akira."

He paused for a moment. "As for how I know your information..." He shrugged. "Sakayanagi Arisu told me."

—Strictly speaking, this wasn't a lie. After all, when they first met, that cunning girl from Class A had indeed inadvertently revealed information about Kamuro Masumi.

"...It was actually Classmate Sakayanagi?"

Of course she knew Sakayanagi Arisu—yesterday, during the new student orientation, the girl leaning on a cane and the boy named Katsuragi Kohei had become the focus of everyone in Class A almost instantly.

Why would Sakayanagi reveal my information to a student from Class D?

When it comes down to it, why would this person even want to help me?

Kamuro Masumi frowned slightly, her gaze scrutinizing Shimizu Akira.

The way he looked so calm and unbothered didn't seem like the behavior of someone facing a girl he had a crush on.

Could it be... that I misunderstood?

Perhaps the other party had truly just extended a helping hand out of simple kindness?