Classroom of the Elite, After the Intel Refreshed, They Always Want to Conquer Me! 34

After all, the other side wasn't some NPC in a game, but living, breathing people—the sharp-witted honor students of Class B, and this particular student possessed social talents that Shimizu Akira couldn't hope to match.

If Class A could discover the hidden rules and Class D could sense that something was wrong, why wouldn't Class B be able to do the same?

"This is getting more and more interesting..." Shimizu Akira muttered to himself.

He suddenly felt that this school was far more intriguing than he had imagined—each of the four classes seemed to be hiding strength that couldn't be underestimated.

Arisaka Arisu, who loved playing mind games.

Ichinose Honami, the social genius.

Ryuen Kakeru of Class C, who prioritized violence above all else.

Aside from Class D, it seemed that none of them were easy to deal with.

When Shimizu Akira returned to his room, he found that the room next door, belonging to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, was quite lively.

Through the not-so-thick walls, he could faintly hear the voices of several boys and girls chatting.

As for what exactly they were saying, it wasn't clear enough to make out.

Shimizu Akira couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, feeling a slight sense of surprise—he hadn't expected the usually reticent Ayanokouji Kiyotaka to have such a decent social circle in private.

He glanced at his phone; the time was already eight o'clock in the evening.

The school handbook stated in black and white: "Male students are prohibited from lingering on the female dormitory floors past 8:30 PM."

However, the handbook didn't say a word about whether female students could stay in the male dormitory for extended periods.

It was just that the voices next door clearly belonged to more than one person—it looked like friends had come over to hang out.

It was probably Ike Kanji, Yamauchi Haruki, and that group.

Just as Shimizu Akira was about to take his room key card out of his pocket, the door next door suddenly opened.

"Shimizu-kun, we've been waiting for you for so long!"

A familiar voice reached him, and when he turned to look, standing at the doorway was none other than Kushida Kikyou.

She wore her usual fake smile, but her eyes held a hint of something that brooked no refusal.

"I heard you were busy after school, so after we finished dinner and went to karaoke, we specifically came to Ayanokouji-kun's room to wait for you." She tilted her head slightly, her tone light. "After all, I asked Ayanokouji-kun, and he said you lived right next door."

Shimizu Akira was silent for a moment. Before he could respond, Kushida took a step forward, her smile unchanging, yet carrying a subtle sense of pressure.

"I'm sorry, I know this might seem a bit persistent..." She lowered her voice slightly, looking him straight in the eye. "But no matter what, Shimizu-kun is indispensable to me."

Shimizu Akira hadn't expected Kushida Kikyou to be this obsessive.

He had merely declined an invitation once, and she had actually come to block him at his dormitory door.

—And Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was the one who revealed his whereabouts?

(I misjudged you this time. You usually act like you don't care about the world, but you sold out your neighbor without a second thought. I was wrong about you, Ayanokouji.)

"...Fine."

After a moment of silence, Shimizu Akira finally relented.

After all, since returning from the Student Council, he really didn't have any plans for the evening.

Refusing any further would only make it seem deliberate.

"Great! I knew Shimizu-kun wouldn't reject me on purpose! How could you possibly reject me! Hehehe~"

Kushida Kikyou patted her chest as if relieved, a brilliant smile blooming on her face.

But in her slightly narrowed eyes, Shimizu Akira clearly caught a glimmer of "just as I thought" triumph.

060 Ayanokouji Kiyotaka: So I'm not friends with them after all

"Some of our classmates have already reserved seats at the cafe next door, so we should get going." Kushida Kikyou clapped her hands lightly and turned to call into the room.

"Finally back!"

"We've been waiting for over an hour."

Following her lead, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Yamauchi Haruki, and Ike Kanji walked out of the room one after another, followed by several female classmates who were laughing and chatting.

(To think they brought over a dozen people and waited for me in the dorm for over an hour...)

Shimizu Akira looked at the group of classmates before him, his mood becoming subtly complicated.

Kushida Kikyou's level of persistence far exceeded his imagination—not only did she come to block him in person, but she also mobilized so many classmates to keep him company.

This kind of display was less of an invitation and more of a form of gentle coercion.

He noticed a few of the girls secretly rubbing their legs, which were likely sore from standing.

(To go to such lengths... should I call this perseverance, or is it just terrifying?)

"Shimizu-kun, let's go together!" Kushida Kikyou slowly moved closer, her delicate hand gently tugging at his sleeve.

Shimizu Akira calmly scanned his surroundings, meeting the envious gazes of Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji.

The two men's scorching stares were almost enough to burn holes right through him.

(Pulling my clothes? Could it be that some kind of trouble is coming my way...)

Within the school, apart from the 24-hour convenience store, all other facilities have their operating hours unified to close at nine in the evening.

It is worth mentioning that the dormitory cafeteria also extends its operating hours until nine in the evening.

When Shimizu Akira and his group arrived at the cafe, the shop was still brightly lit.

Kushida Kikyou spotted Inogashira Kokoro from afar, immediately waved enthusiastically to signal her, and then led the group over at a leisurely pace.

Due to the cafe's four-person table limit, the dozen or so people had to choose the sofa area against the wall. This row of seats was arranged side-by-side, and they occupied four connected seats, barely managing to hold a group conversation.

Kushida Kikyou chose the central main seat without hesitation, and the others took their seats one after another.

Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji had originally wanted to sit at the same table as Kushida, but finding the spots already occupied by the girls, they had to move to the seats on the right with a sense of disappointment.

Shimizu Akira deliberately chose an empty seat on the left that no one had taken yet.

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who chose last, looked around and found that all other seats were full, so he had no choice but to sit in the spot opposite Shimizu Akira.

After everyone was seated, they picked up their phones one after another to scan the code and order.

Taking advantage of this gap, Shimizu Akira cast his gaze toward Ayanokouji Kiyotaka across from him and asked in a seemingly casual tone:

"Ayanokouji-kun, were you the one who told Kushida-san that I live next door to you?"

"This... it is true that I... accidentally let it slip." Ayanokouji Kiyotaka shrank back slightly, a look of panic appearing on his face.

Shimizu Akira stared at him in silence, his eyes filled with speechlessness.

--That acting is way too fake.

Who is this timid, cowering act for? Is he afraid that I might actually lay a hand on him?

Given Ayanokouji's physique, if it really came down to a fight, the outcome would be anyone's guess.

In terms of acting, compared to that Kushida Kikyou sitting next to him, he is not even in the same league.

At the same time, a trace of confusion welled up in Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's heart.

--Why is Shimizu looking at me with such a speechless expression?

He secretly recalled the scenes of other classmates in the class interacting with Shimizu Akira: whether it was Yamauchi Haruki or Ike Kanji, they would unconsciously reveal a bit of fear when facing this classmate.

In order to perfectly blend into the role of an "avoidance-prone ordinary high school student," he had even specifically observed and imitated Yamauchi Haruki's words and actions.

Why is it not working at all?

Shimizu Akira narrowed his eyes slightly, "How surprising, Ayanokouji-kun. I thought you were the type most afraid of trouble; I didn't expect you to take the initiative to give up your dormitory."

Ayanokouji lowered his gaze, his voice flat but tinged with a hint of helplessness: "...It wasn't voluntary. Kushida-san insisted on hosting you tonight no matter what."

Then, he added, "Besides, I always feel that the real purpose of Kushida-san gathering everyone this time is likely you."

Shimizu Akira was taken aback upon hearing this.

(The target is actually me?)

He subconsciously believed this judgment.

After all, the one speaking was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka—the man who seemed low-key but could always see through to the essence of things.

The other party had no reason to lie to him.

"I understand. Thank you for the warning, Ayanokouji-kun."

"...Don't worry about it, just a passing thought."

Shimizu Akira suddenly thought of something and changed the subject: "Speaking of which, why did you join Kushida's side, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Ayanokouji's expression remained calm and waveless: "...Yamauchi and Ike dragged me here." He paused, then added: "They blocked my dormitory door."

Shimizu Akira nodded thoughtfully, "I see. So you were forcibly dragged over by friends."

His gaze swept over Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's calm profile with a thoughtful look.

Come to think of it, Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki are indeed among the few social contacts this mysterious boy has.

Every time in the hallway or the cafeteria, one could always see the four of them gathered together.

Such a combination is truly puzzling.

This person before him clearly possesses abilities far beyond the average person; why would he choose to maintain close contact with those two—especially someone with such questionable character as Yamauchi Haruki? Ike Kanji is at least frank and sincere, but Yamauchi... I don't even want to comment.

"Friends?" Ayanokouji suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a rare sense of confusion, "To what extent... can one be called a true friend?"

Shimizu Akira subconsciously thought he was listening to the other party feigning humility again, but when he saw the genuine bewilderment in the boy's eyes, he couldn't help but be stunned.

He wanted to bring out the standard definition of friendship from a textbook, but felt that would be too perfunctory.

Shimizu Akira pondered for a moment and summarized: "I think, when you feel natural and comfortable being with someone... that is probably a friend."

Upon hearing this, Ayanokouji replied almost like a conditioned reflex: "...It seems I am not friends with Yamauchi and Ike after all."

"..." Shimizu Akira was momentarily speechless, "If you want to make friends, you'd better say less of that kind of thing in the future."

He secretly mused to himself, it seems the other party is also well aware that he is not comfortable being around those two.

What surprised him even more, however, was the sharpness of Ayanokouji's tongue.

This hurtful assessment had slipped out without a moment's hesitation, as if it were a reflex.

Shimizu Akira couldn't help but think of Ike Kanji—he wondered how he would react if he heard such a blunt critique.

"Right!" Shimizu Akira suddenly clapped his hands, as if remembering something. "Let me treat you to this coffee; consider it a thank you for your advice just now."

Ayanokouji's eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised by this sudden invitation.

061 Kushida Kikyou wants to recruit me?

Shimizu Akira had a good impression of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

He quite liked the other boy's unassuming, indifferent temperament—though, in a way, this low profile felt more like a disguise.

A brief silence slowly spread between the two.

Conversations between men usually revolve around the opposite sex, academics, games, or bragging to one another.

As for Shimizu Akira, he couldn't tell at all which of these topics might interest the other.

As expected, I still can't find any common ground.

Shimizu Akira shook his head inwardly, silently pulling out his phone to scan the QR code to order, paying for the other boy's drink as well.

Considering that consuming caffeine in the evening might affect his sleep, he ultimately chose a refreshing mango juice.

After about ten minutes, the waiter brought everyone's drinks to the table.

Kushida Kikyou gave an elegant, light cough, tapping the side of her coffee cup with a slender index finger.

Only when everyone's gaze was focused on her did she reveal her signature sweet smile.

"Thank you all again for gathering here today... I am very grateful for everyone's votes and encouragement. From today on, we are..." She paused slightly, then continued in a firmer tone: "A group bound by a shared destiny!"

You're doing the 'shared destiny' thing too?

Beside her, Shimizu Akira felt as if a keyword had been triggered, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes in his heart.