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

The whispers in the classroom had not yet fully dissipated when Shimizu Akira stood up and chased after her.

In the hallway, his footsteps quickly caught up to that slender figure.

Just as the distance closed to within three paces, Chabashira Sae suddenly stopped and spoke without looking back: "The question period is over."

Shimizu Akira slammed on the brakes.

Question period? He carefully recalled the situation in the classroom just moments ago—after the homeroom teacher finished explaining everything, she had simply observed the students for a moment and then cleanly announced the dismissal.

There was no such thing as a question period.

Was this intentional, or just a casual remark?

It seemed she had no intention of providing information voluntarily.

"Teacher," he narrowed his eyes slightly, "I didn't come to ask questions, but to report something."

Chabashira Sae then slowly turned around, a flash of surprise crossing her face: "What is it?"

"Actually..." Shimizu Akira said with a serious expression, "After the entrance interview last time, I accidentally overheard a conversation between two interviewers in the restroom. Because of Kouenji Rokusuke's arrogant attitude, they deliberately lowered his intelligence and judgment scores, giving him a C grade." He paused, "One of them even said: 'A student this arrogant belongs in Class D.'"

"...Why bring this up now?" Chabashira Sae paused for a moment, her sharp gaze scrutinizing him.

"Because I only realized today that he is my classmate." Shimizu Akira's answer was airtight.

When he first heard it, it was just idle chatter from strangers, so there was naturally no need to meddle. But since it involved a classmate, the situation was different—this reason perfectly fit the behavioral logic of an ordinary student.

"...Understood, I will report this to the school administration." Chabashira Sae nodded slightly.

Shimizu Akira changed the subject calmly: "Speaking of which, does this school have a student council?"

"It does." Chabashira Sae regained her composure, "However, it is not easy for a first-year to join; it requires the consent of the student council president."

"What is the student council president's name? Which class is he in?" Shimizu Akira asked as if it were a casual follow-up.

Chabashira Sae paused for half a second before answering:

"Horikita Manabu... Class A, third year."

005 Is Student Shimizu Deliberately Lying to Test Me? / Encountering the Silver-Haired Girl

Chabashira Sae slowly put down the phone in her hand, her fingertips tapping lightly on the desk.

This result came even faster than she had expected—from the moment Kouenji Rokusuke's score was maliciously suppressed to the school providing a solution, less than half an hour had passed.

The personnel involved were immediately dismissed, the whistleblower received fifty thousand points as hush money, and Kouenji's class placement remained unchanged.

"As I thought." She hummed softly and tossed her phone onto the table.

Having taught at Koudo Ikusei for eight years, she knew the rules of this school all too well.

Every student was labeled during their entrance interview: Class A were the carefully selected geniuses, while Class D were the "defective products" that had been abandoned.

160 spots, 160 chess pieces; from the moment of class assignment, their respective fates were sealed.

In this school, the only ones who could truly achieve a one-hundred-percent advancement and employment rate were always the chosen elites of Class A.

Chabashira suddenly looked at the Class D roster, focusing specifically on Shimizu Akira's entrance file.

[Academic Ability: E-]

[Judgment: B]

[Intelligence: E-]

[Physical Ability: A]

[Teamwork: E-]

Chabashira Sae's fingertips paused.

The ability assessment data for Shimizu Akira in the file was mediocre—aside from his physical ability and judgment being slightly above average, every other category was stamped with a glaring "E-". Such a score being assigned to Class D should have been a matter of course.

But the articulate way the boy had spoken just moments ago formed a sharp contrast with this assessment report.

She quickly swiped through her phone, precisely found the name "Shimizu Akira" in the list of pending friend requests, and sent a request without hesitation.

"Interesting." A cold smirk curled the corner of her lips.

The school had just emphasized on the phone that the class assignment rules were a secret known only to a few top executives.

Therefore, it was impossible for the interviewers to have said—"A student this arrogant belongs in Class D."

"So, is this student Shimizu deliberately lying to test me?"

Chabashira Sae's gaze fell back onto that overly perfect low-score assessment.

Perhaps this report was not born out of a sense of justice at all, but was a carefully designed probe—the boy had likely already seen through the true nature of Class D as a "dumping ground for defective products."

Chabashira Sae's fingertips tapped lightly on the desktop.

"I see..." She whispered to herself, a playful arc appearing at the corner of her mouth.

Shimizu Akira's later inquiry about the student council was likely not just simple curiosity—he was looking for evidence to verify his suspicions about the twisted rules of this school.

After all, in this academy that practiced "meritocracy," the position of student council president was always reserved for the most outstanding individual.

Horikita Manabu, the most outstanding student council president in history, came from Class A of the third year without any suspense.

The two pieces of information the other party used to probe were enough to prove it—Class A represented the elite, while Class D was tacitly acknowledged by the school as a gathering place for "defective products."

Had they really analyzed the situation and come to test her less than a minute after hearing her words?

"Could it be... that this year's Class D... actually has a chance..." Her voice carried a rare trace of wavering.

In her eight years of teaching, she had seen many classes of students, yet she had never encountered anyone who could see through the class-assignment rules on the very first day of school. Even in Class A, such students were few and far between.

"Ha! This year's Class A is truly interesting!" A deep, masculine voice suddenly cut in.

Masaki Tomoya—her old colleague and the homeroom teacher for Class A—was leaning against the office door, his sturdy frame blocking out most of the light.

Chabashira Sae glanced up to see a rare look of astonishment on Masaki's face. "That Arisu Sakayanagi in my class," he said, rubbing the stubble on his chin, "I had just finished explaining the school rules when she caught up to me and deduced the truth about the merit-based assignments and the point system without a single error." He shook his head. "In previous years, students have known about these things, but only through information leaked by upperclassmen. She is the first one to piece together the full truth based solely on my few words."

"She even said she was going to the convenience store to 'confirm a few things'!" Masaki scratched his head, his tone tinged with confusion. "Probably going to look for those free supplies, right?"

Chabashira Sae was all too familiar with those "special benefits" hidden in the corners of the convenience store—they were relief goods prepared by the school specifically for students in financial distress.

When she first enrolled, she had witnessed many Class D students struggling to survive by relying on those supplies.

But... to be able to deduce this arrangement before even stepping into the convenience store?

Chabashira Sae quickly flipped through the file of Arisu Sakayanagi, which showed near-perfect scores—except for physical education and teamwork, every category was marked with a striking "A" grade.

With a monster-level student like that, it was almost certain that she would become the undisputed leader of Class A in the future.

"Will he win?" She suddenly thought of Shimizu Akira.

To graduate perfectly, one had to ascend to the throne of Class A.

In other words, Shimizu Akira had to defeat Arisu Sakayanagi in this brutal competition.

When Shimizu Akira stepped into the convenience store, it was already packed with excited freshmen students shopping.

Figures darted between the shelves, clutching shopping baskets filled to the brim with snacks and daily necessities—it seemed the initial grant of 100,000 points had indeed made many people loosen their purse strings.

However, his gaze wandered across the shelves for a long time before finally discovering a corner marked as the "Free Pickup" zone.

The shelves were neatly stocked with various daily necessities—band-aids, notebooks, shampoo, and even simple toiletry sets. A sign next to them displayed a prominent rule: Limit of three items per person per month.

He observed quietly for a while as several upperclassmen walked over one after another.

Their expressions were weary, and they skillfully grabbed a few essentials before hurrying away.

(It seems the situation where points drop to zero really does exist... otherwise, these upperclassmen wouldn't be in such dire straits on the very first day of school.)

Shimizu Akira narrowed his eyes slightly, having already reached his conclusion.

"This student, you've been observing since you stepped into the convenience store, yet your gaze has remained fixed on the free supplies area... You must have seen those seniors from Class D as well. It seems you, like me, have also seen through the truth of the point distribution, haven't you?"

A voice tinged with curiosity suddenly came from the side.

Shimizu Akira followed the sound—

A silver-haired girl was leaning against her cane beside the shelf.

A pure white ribbon complemented her almost translucent skin, making her look like a finely carved ice-crystal artwork.

At this moment, those playful eyes were watching him with great interest.

006 Arisu Sakayanagi: Rigidly Cute

Arisu Sakayanagi never doubted whether true geniuses existed in this world.

The answer was obviously yes—because she was one herself.

The undisguised look of amazement from the interviewers a few weeks ago had already confirmed this.

Aside from this frail body being a slight pity, her resume was breathtakingly perfect.

No stains, no flaws, just like a perfect crystal formed after precise calculation.

From A to D, from genius to waste.

According to the rules of this school, next month's class points would be reshuffled based on student performance.

Especially that Class D—it would likely drop to zero.

This information didn't come from her father, who served as the chairman. In fact, as long as she probed a little, her father, who was completely doting toward her, would spill everything.

But a true genius never deigned to take shortcuts.

Half an hour ago, she had grasped everything based on just a few words from her homeroom teacher.

At this moment, the free pickup zone in the convenience store was the perfect confirmation of her deduction.

(I wonder if anyone else has noticed this hidden hint like I did?)

(If I'm the only one, then this school would be far too boring.)

Arisu Sakayanagi stood in place, her gaze slowly sweeping over every figure in the convenience store.

The vast majority of students turned a blind eye to the free column, focusing only on picking the items they needed.

Until—

A beautiful girl with purple hair and purple eyes entered her field of vision.

It wasn't just the fact that she was Kamuro Masumi from Class A that caught her attention.

What was even more intriguing was how the other girl was scrutinizing the positions of the security cameras with a professional gaze, her footsteps drifting unconsciously toward the alcohol shelf in the adult section.

(Interesting... is she planning to steal? Judging by how practiced she looks, she's likely a repeat offender.)

(I'll play with her a little later! It just so happens that I'm in need of a clever subordinate.)

However, Sakayanagi quickly withdrew her gaze.

Judging by the other girl's cautious movements, she was likely still in the scouting phase—confirming the blind spots of the cameras and figuring out the patterns of the store clerks.

She wouldn't make a move for a while.

Her gaze returned to the free-item shelf.

9:06:46.

This time surfaced automatically in her mind.

Ever since elementary school, she had been able to calculate time precisely through her heartbeat and changes in light, without any need to rely on a clock.

There were about twenty minutes left until the entrance ceremony.

(Will anyone come?)

(Besides me, are there any other geniuses who can see through the truth of this school?)

On the surface, she was just a frail, kind-hearted, and beautiful girl.

But only those who truly knew her understood—

Sakayanagi Arisu had never been a kind girl.

She was exceptionally petty, and those who offended her would eventually meet a miserable end.

She craved challenges even more, longing for an opponent who could force her to give her all.