Classroom of the Elite, After the Intel Refreshed, They Always Want to Conquer Me! 18

But on second thought, he felt it was unlikely—Chabashira Sae was never the type to worry about her class.

She was more like an outsider watching with cold eyes, observing as the students struggled within the rules.

She had acted like a hands-off manager from the very first day of school, too lazy to even provide the most basic class guidance.

If he hadn't taken the initiative to chase after her and ask, she probably wouldn't have even had the interest to say an extra word.

Yet, unexpectedly, she had helped him with a small favor during that bet with Sakayanagi Arisu, and even went out of her way afterward to remind him to save his private points.

(What a contradictory person...)

Shimizu Akira tapped his fingertip on the screen, sending a brief "Understood" in reply.

Although he was full of questions regarding this conversation, he couldn't very well decline a summons from his homeroom teacher.

He recalled the scene during dinner last Friday—Horikita Suzune, who sat next to him, must have gone to see Chabashira Sae.

(I wonder how that went?)

This thought flashed through Shimizu Akira's mind, and he looked toward Horikita's seat, lost in thought.

The girl with long black hair, who always kept her spine straight, was currently radiating a low pressure so intense it was almost tangible.

If her aura had previously been "do not approach," it had now upgraded to a terrifying domain of "those who approach shall die."

Shimizu Akira asked casually, "What did Chabashira-sensei say to you?"

"Hmph." Horikita Suzune sneered, "When I went to find her, she actually said—'I'm off the clock'."

She repeated it word for word, each syllable sounding as if it were being squeezed through her teeth, "She told me to come back and see her before five o'clock tonight."

"A homeroom teacher," her voice dropped an octave, carrying a dangerous sort of calm, "yet she's more punctual about her working hours than a civil servant."

"Chabashira-sensei told me to see her after school, let's go together." Shimizu Akira responded calmly.

Horikita Suzune froze, sizing up the male classmate before her with a thoughtful gaze.

(This might allow me to gather more useful information.)

She had to admit that with Shimizu Akira's insight and ability to handle matters, having him accompany her would indeed increase efficiency.

The other party had been forcibly summoned, so there was no issue of who was helping whom; this perfectly aligned with her principle of "not relying on others."

Horikita pursed her lips slightly, and after a brief silence, she ultimately didn't say anything to refuse.

"Notify me once the time is confirmed," she added coldly after a pause.

"I'll contact you in advance." Shimizu Akira nodded in understanding, and a subtle rapport formed between the two.

(Since exchanging contact information, efficiency has indeed improved a lot...)

Horikita never considered this a compromise; she simply chose the optimal solution.

031 Class A has already begun its layout, while Class B and Class C seem to be lacking something

"Maya! Chiaki!" Karuizawa Kei suddenly raised her voice, "Sorry, I might not be able to go shopping with you all later!"

"Eh? Karuizawa? Did something happen?" The two girls turned to look at her in surprise.

Karuizawa Kei glanced toward Shimizu Akira's direction unconsciously, then straightened her back and announced, "I've decided that starting from after school today, I'm joining the Boxing Club!"

"The Boxing Club?!" Sato Maya widened her eyes, "Can girls even join a sports club like that?"

"Of course they can!" Karuizawa Kei put her hands on her hips and added smugly, "But I'm going to be the manager!"

"A manager! Isn't that great!" Sato Maya's eyes lit up, "The Boxing Club is one of the popular clubs in school. Come to think of it..." She suddenly lowered her voice and blinked teasingly, "Isn't Shimizu-kun one of the members there?"

Karuizawa Kei coughed lightly, "Um... so starting today, I'll be going to club activities with him..."

"Eh—?" Shinohara suddenly leaned in, nudging her with her elbow with a mischievous grin, "Don't tell me... you two are dating?"

"N-no way!" Karuizawa Kei waved her hands in a panic, "It's just a coincidence that we're both going to the same place!"

She thought to herself silently.

In a sense, she was someone who had also been rejected after a confession.

Shimizu Akira's phone suddenly vibrated.

He looked down at the message and found it wasn't from Chabashira Sae, but a text from Kamuro Masumi of Class A:

[Save your points from now on.]

That usually cold and aloof honor student from Class A was actually taking the initiative to warn him?

He quickly replied: [Has Sakayanagi Arisu already revealed the information about the S System to you?]

The other party replied almost instantly: [You're quite quick on the uptake, not really the level I'd expect from Class D.]

She followed up immediately with another: [Otherwise, why do you think Sakayanagi Arisu is able to become one of the core figures of Class A?]

A flash of surprise crossed Shimizu Akira's eyes, and he tapped his fingers on the screen: [One of? Does Class A have other cores?]

Kamuro Masumi's reply carried a hint of deeper meaning: [Katsuragi Kohei. His style is steady, and he does things without a single flaw. He also holds quite a bit of prestige within the class.]

Shimizu Akira fell into a brief contemplation. It was clear that Class A had now been completely integrated into a single, unified entity.

Arisu Sakayanagi, much like him, had already grasped the key intelligence that the school had deliberately hidden.

His gaze fell once again on the second piece of information:

If one hadn't known the inside story beforehand, it would have been nearly impossible for Class A to have obtained such a staggering amount of class points in the very first month.

Do not be fooled by the cold, hard data; there is a wealth of critical information hidden behind it.

For instance, it is clear that aside from Class A, the other classes have yet to discover these hidden rules.

Otherwise, the scores for Class B and Class C would not be languishing at the levels of 650 and 490 points.

The performance of Class B, in particular, is quite intriguing.

When he spent 10,000 points to purchase intelligence back then, that senior student had explicitly told him: among all the successive generations of competition, Class B is often the class with the greatest potential for an "uprising."

However, their current score shows a clear discrepancy with that expectation.

(Strange... with Ichinose Honami's social skills, she shouldn't have come up empty-handed.)

Akira Shimizu rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

He clearly remembered that when school first started, that girl with the long pink hair was already active among all the grade levels. By the second day, she had already collected over a hundred contact details.

(Is she just making friends? Ichinose-san.)

He suddenly realized something, his eyes narrowing slightly.

(Wait... could it be that she hasn't made contact with those desperate students in Class D?)

This thought brought him sudden clarity.

After all, in this school, the only ones likely to sell out their class secrets for a few private points are those few students in Class D who have given up on themselves.

As for the other classes, it is impossible for them to do something as foolish as betraying their class for a mere twenty or thirty thousand private points.

(When you do the math, it's just not worth it...)

Akira Shimizu quickly calculated the gains and losses in his mind.

Twenty or thirty thousand private points might seem tempting, but when converted into class points, it amounts to only two or three hundred.

And once the school discovers a violation, they would be docked one or two hundred class points at the drop of a hat—which means the entire class would lose hundreds of thousands, or even more, in fixed monthly income.

This kind of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs is something only those with no other options would consider.

As for Class C—

(Come to think of it, I haven't had any contact with anyone from Class C yet...)

The organizational structure of that class remains a mystery to him.

As for whether Class C possesses a soul figure capable of leading the entire class, like Arisu Sakayanagi in Class A or Ichinose Honami in Class B, that remains a question mark.

After thinking for a long time, Akira Shimizu tapped his finger on the screen again: [By the way, Arisu Sakayanagi didn't give you any trouble over that can of beer, did she?]

Masumi Kamuro's reply carried clear annoyance: [? Do you think I'm that stupid? The evidence was cleaned up by you long ago. Besides—] The message paused for two seconds, [I am, after all, a student of Class A; how could I possibly be caught by the handle over a can of beer?]

Akira Shimizu's fingertips tapped out the words lightly: [Hard to say. Remember when we first met? You nearly showed all your cards—that doesn't seem like the style of Class A. I feel like if I hadn't shown up, you would have become a complete puppet for Arisu Sakayanagi. For example, on rainy days, you'd be holding an umbrella for her or something.]

The moment the message was sent, his phone vibrated violently.

[Akira Shimizu! You want to die, don't you!] Masumi Kamuro's reply was so filled with rage that he could almost feel it through the screen, [I just realized it now—when we first met, you were beating around the bush to call me stupid, weren't you?! Who would hold an umbrella for Arisu Sakayanagi! She's a genius in Class A, but am I not one too?]

[Forget it! It's a waste of time talking to someone like you.]

Akira Shimizu looked at the screen, his fingertips pausing for a moment, before he typed earnestly: [Sorry, I went too far this time. But... I'm glad you weren't used by Arisu Sakayanagi.]

After the message was marked as read, the "other party is typing..." status continued to appear above the chat box.

It took a full half-minute before a reply finally arrived:

[Kneel and apologize; let me step on your head to accept your penance.]

[Heh~]

Akira Shimizu put his phone down, lost in thought, and turned his gaze to Suzune Horikita beside him.

He weighed his words carefully and asked with feigned seriousness: "Horikita-san, if a girl sends a reply like 'Heh,' what does it usually mean?"

Suzune Horikita didn't even look up from her textbook, letting out a cold, meaningful laugh: "Hmph~"

Akira Shimizu blinked.

So the question is... what does a girl's "Hmph" mean?

032 Men compare more than just size; they compare muscles too!

The current captain of the Boxing Club is a third-year student from Class A, Sato-senpai.

—He was the runner-up in last year's National High School Boxing Championship.

The value of this tournament is extremely high; it is equivalent to the runner-up level of the national high school boxing competition, a truly hard-earned, top-tier honor.

By virtue of such achievements, Sato-senpai was scouted by the national team early on. After graduation, he will not only be recommended to a top-tier sports university but may even enter the professional boxing circuit directly.

And as someone capable of graduating from Class A, his academic grades are equally outstanding. Even if he didn't take the special sports admission route, he could easily get into a prestigious university based on his academic performance alone.

He was truly gifted in both literature and martial arts, with a boundless future ahead of him.

However, due to his promotion to the third year, the status of Sato naturally underwent a transformation—he not only took over as the club president but also assumed the responsibilities of the club coach.

Nowadays, he poured all his energy into training the second-year members and guiding the first-year freshmen.

The personality of President Sato was as straightforward as his straight punches—conversations between men were often resolved directly on the ring with their fists.

At high noon.

When Shimizu Akira arrived at the Boxing Club with Karuizawa Kei, President Sato didn't even wait for them to finish explaining their purpose before laughing and giving his approval:

"A manager? No problem at all!"

Immediately, an iron fist slammed heavily onto Shimizu's shoulder, forcing him to take half a step back—

Among the many freshmen, President Sato held special expectations for Shimizu Akira—this underclassman was like an unpolished gem.

Generally speaking, people with outstanding physical fitness have usually dabbled in one or two types of combat sports.

But such people often carry ingrained habits that are difficult to correct—for instance, those who practice karate always subconsciously want to use roundhouse kicks, which is an absolute taboo under boxing rules.

But Shimizu Akira was completely different.

This underclassman had spent a full eight years practicing nothing but basic techniques, much like a max-level novice character in a game who refuses to change classes.

Precisely because of this, when he officially began systematically learning Boxing, his speed of progress was astonishing—his pure foundation had instead become the most precious blank canvas.

Before the two left, President Sato specifically patted Shimizu Akira on the shoulder.

"You don't need to come to training so frequently from now on."

Seeing the other party slightly stunned, President Sato added with a smile: "Coming occasionally is fine. To be honest, your speed of progress... is truly staggering."

The senior's gaze swept over the other freshmen practicing on the sidelines, "This might have some impact on the motivation of the other members. If you have nothing better to do, you can go check out the Student Council."

Shimizu Akira nodded lightly, not saying anything more.