Classroom of the Elite, After the Intel Refreshed, They Always Want to Conquer Me! 36

(She is unexpectedly black-hearted.)

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was right after all; her true target was me.

Compared to an ethereal date, eighty thousand private points were clearly more substantial.

"Kushida-san," Shimizu Akira thought for a moment before saying slowly, "are you worried that I might go back on my word later and leak your plan?"

Without waiting for her response, he continued on his own: "But have you thought about it—with your popularity in the class, even if I were to say something, who would believe me?"

"...Shimizu-kun, are you really, really not going to tell the truth? Can you turn around, look me in the eyes, and say that again?" A girl's voice came from behind, tinged with timidity and an underlying sense of unease.

"Fine." Shimizu Akira sighed helplessly, thinking that this classmate was far too insecure.

The moment he turned around, Kushida Kikyou suddenly reached out, grabbed his left hand, and pressed it firmly against her chest without a moment's hesitation.

"Huh? What are you...?" Shimizu Akira froze for a second; the soft sensation against his palm made her intentions instantly clear.

What was she doing? Was she intentionally giving him a perk?

"As expected of Shimizu-kun!" A naive smile appeared on Kushida Kikyou's face. "The pressure was just right. That shouldn't leave any fingerprints, right?"

"Could you close your fingers and use a little force, maybe grab it three or four times?"

"Are you sure?"

"Mm, I'm sure. Please, feel free to touch, Shimizu-kun."

"...Alright, since you've said so."

Shimizu Akira did as he was told.

"Hmph~..." The tips of Kushida's ears turned crimson instantly, yet she forced herself to remain calm and curled her lips upward. "Shimizu-kun... you really are quite shameless, but you're obedient. I don't dislike that about you."

She leaned in close, her hair scented with citrus brushing against Shimizu Akira's cheek: "Now, I have a handle on you on my clothes too~ I'll protect this garment well with plastic wrap. If you don't want to be invited for tea by the police, then today, our private conversation at the cafe... you must keep your mouth shut."

Shimizu Akira stood rooted to the spot, watching her back slowly disappear, and it took him a long while to snap out of it: "What kind of threat is that..."

He pulled the phone from his pocket, which had been recording the entire time. The fluorescent light from the screen reflected off his twitching lips: "With the whole thing recorded... aren't you just handing me a freebie?"

That's right, he had recorded it.

After all, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had specifically warned him, and he had been wary of her to begin with.

So, from the very start of their private conversation, the recording had never stopped.

(Who exactly is holding whose handle?)

Kushida Kikyou transferred the eighty thousand points quickly.

Shimizu Akira stared at the notification on his phone, raising an eyebrow—

(Where did she even scrape this money together from? Did she borrow it from other classmates?)

But since the points were in his account, he couldn't be bothered to investigate further.

As for the so-called "handle" she held, that recording was enough to prove that everything had been her own initiative from start to finish, and it had nothing to do with him.

Come to think of it, could fingerprints on clothes really serve as evidence?

In the dead of night, Shimizu Akira lay flat on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

(Wait...)

He suddenly frowned, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.

(This type of transaction... hasn't it happened too many times lately?)

Memories flashed by like a revolving lantern—the awkward look on Karuizawa Kei's face when she transferred points, the sharp gaze of Horikita Suzune as she paid with a cold expression, the elegant posture of Sakayanagi Arisu as she made a transfer with a playful smile... and now, Kushida Kikyou.

(That's the fourth one...)

Shimizu Akira did a kip-up to a sitting position and suddenly laughed out loud in the darkness: "Could it be... that I have an unexpected talent for business? Is the fifth one about to open for business soon?"

His sleepiness vanished instantly. He rolled over, grabbed the phone from his bedside table, and skillfully switched to that rarely used secondary account.

The screen displayed a glaring "Read"—the message to Ryuen Kakeru of Class C remained like a stone sinking into the ocean; he was too stingy to even reply with a punctuation mark.

As for Ichinose Honami of Class B, it was even more straightforward; the chat interface ended on a polite but firm rejection.

"Ugh..." He couldn't help but rub the screen with his thumb, pulling the corners of his mouth into a self-deprecating smirk.

So the setting of "transactions with beautiful girls always succeed" was nothing more than his own wishful thinking.

Inside Ichinose Honami's room in the upper dormitory area.

Ichinose Honami held her phone, her fingertips gently stroking the screen. After much hesitation, she sent a message to the class group.

Ichinose Honami: Everyone, please be extra careful to follow the school's daily code of conduct recently! (.o?-)?

Shibata Sou: Received! Don't worry, Class President, I've already emphasized it to everyone!?

Kanzaki Ryuji: Understood. We will also be careful not to disclose any information to other classes.

Shiranami Chihiro: We will definitely follow what Ichinose-san says! (?o?o)??

Shibata Sou: But then again, how did you find out about this inside information, Class Rep? You suddenly called a meeting during lunch break today; you really gave the Class B students a scare! (⊙_⊙)

Ichinose Honami: Ahaha... actually, a senior from Class D in the second year approached me to make a deal~ But it wouldn't be appropriate to reveal exactly who it was (^_^;)

Kanzaki Ryuji: Understood. That does involve privacy concerns. Ichinose, although we each paid 10,000 points this time, please do thank that senior on our behalf.

Ichinose Honami: Mm-hmm, I'll go contact her right now! (?o?o?)?

Ichinose Honami let out a soft sigh of relief; fortunately, she had added the other party's contact information when they met at noon.

She opened her phone's contact list, found the entry labeled "Yamamura-senpai," and after a moment of hesitation, sent a message over.

Ichinose Honami: Yamamura-senpai, thank you so much for this! If it weren't for your warning, our Class B might have been caught on the back foot in the very first month of school... (＞人＜;)

Yamamura-senpai: Don't thank me, I was just doing a favor for someone else. If anything, thanks to you, I earned a decent amount of points myself.

Ichinose Honami: Eh? Doing a favor for someone...? May I ask, who asked you to do this?

Yamamura-senpai: Sorry, I can't disclose that, and they don't want you to know either. And... it's best if we don't contact each other again. I don't want to be targeted by the Vice President.

Ichinose Honami: Eh?! The Vice Pres--

Yamamura-senpai: Anyway, let's block each other! If we see each other next time, let's just pretend we don't know each other!

As soon as the message was sent, the other party's profile picture quickly turned gray.

Ichinose Honami stared blankly at the screen, her fingertips hovering over the keyboard, unable to react for a moment.

--Doing a favor for someone?

In other words, the person who truly warned Class B... was someone else entirely?

064 What? Only our Class C is still in the dark.

At 8:30 PM, the lights in the teachers' office were still on.

Mashima Tomoya was still flipping through an English dictionary.

As the homeroom teacher for Class A, he always appeared somewhat cold in front of his students, accustomed to maintaining a proper distance from each of them.

But those who knew him well understood that deep down, this seemingly aloof teacher harbored genuine concern for his students.

Every time he took over a new class, he would spend three days carefully studying the files of every student, just to understand each child's characteristics as quickly as possible.

As for lesson planning, to ensure the quality of every class, he would set aside at least three hours every day.

If there were an award for the most competent teacher in the first year, and assuming there was no foul play, Mashima Tomoya would undoubtedly be the winner.

Mashima turned another page of his lesson plan and, noticing his thermos was empty, stood up to get some hot water.

The moment he turned around, he froze.

The teachers' office, which should have been empty, was now full of people.

Hoshinomiya Chie from Class B was hunched over grading papers, Sakagami Kazuma from Class C was leaning back in his chair, spinning a fountain pen in his hand; most surprisingly, even Chabashira Sae from Class D was at her desk, her fingertips tapping rhythmically against the tabletop.

Mashima instinctively glanced at the wall clock.

At this hour, he should have been the only one in the office.

He would occasionally run into Sakagami, but a scene where everyone was present like this was truly rare.

His gaze lingered on Sakagami for a few extra seconds.

As colleagues, they maintained superficial courtesy but could never truly get close.

Mashima could never agree with Sakagami's practice of shielding his students regardless of right or wrong—no matter if his students were at fault, this homeroom teacher always stood by them, even going so far as to use underhanded methods behind the scenes.

However, Mashima had to admit that Sakagami truly put the interests of his class first.

This obsessive protection might stem from a sense of duty as a teacher, or perhaps it was just his eyes fixed on that substantial year-end class promotion bonus.

But regardless of the reason, it didn't really matter; as long as the result was good, that was enough.

As for the other two—Hoshinomiya Chie and Chabashira Sae, they could be considered his old acquaintances.

The three of them were in the same grade in high school, just in different classes.

Now, after all this time, they were working together at this school, which could be considered a form of fate.

However, as a candid assessment from a friend—Mashima Tomoya really couldn't lie to his conscience and call them competent teachers.

Hoshinomiya Chie's private life was nothing short of debauched.

She changed boyfriends more often than the class schedule. Mashima didn't want to criticize her personal choices, but the problem was that she would even sneak out to drink on workdays, only to walk into the classroom the next day with heavy dark circles under her eyes and reeking of alcohol.

In such a state, it would be a miracle if she could teach her students well.

As for Chabashira Sae, she was the complete opposite extreme.

She had a cold personality, and aside from that failed romance in high school, she hadn't dated anyone in all these years.

Mashima guessed that perhaps it was the cigarette that never left her hand that scared off most suitors—after all, not every man could tolerate the lingering smell of tobacco on his partner.

As for her teaching attitude? She was even more perfunctory than Hoshinomiya.

She arrived exactly when class started and left the moment it ended; the classes she led had never successfully promoted.

Rather than a teacher, she was more like a workplace ghost who just clocked in and out on time.

However, truth be told, when it comes to genuine ability, their teaching skills are actually no worse than his.

Otherwise, given the rigorous hiring standards of Advanced Nurturing High School, how could they have been retained?

Mashima still remembers that in his first year on the job, Chabashira Sae was also a meticulous teacher. Her lesson plans were neat and detailed, and she never missed an after-school tutoring session.

But ever since "that incident," Hoshinomiya Chie had acted like a shark smelling blood, beginning to target her at every turn.

The grades of both classes plummeted amidst their infighting, eventually landing them at the bottom of the grade level.

Meanwhile, Mashima had stumbled into reaping the benefits, sitting securely in the position of Class A homeroom teacher for several years running.

Yet, whenever he saw the names of those who had been expelled on the class rosters, he would be reminded that in this war without smoke, the true victims were never the teachers at the podium, but the innocent children in the classrooms.

He had actually tried to persuade them several times in private.

But Chabashira consistently ranked last in every annual evaluation, eventually being relegated to lead Class D.

As time went on, that once-meticulous Chabashira was ultimately worn down into the indifferent person she is today.

And Hoshinomiya... she wasn't like this at the beginning either.

He remembers that when she first joined, she would diligently grade assignments until late at night; it was only after Chabashira completely gave up that she began to let herself go as well.

The unopened lesson plans in her office drawer and the increasingly heavy scent of her perfume were silent testaments to a certain sense of self-abandonment.

Mashima actually understands that if one were to truly investigate that old incident from back then, Chabashira was indeed in the wrong.

That is why, looking at the dark circles Hoshinomiya tries to hide with mascara now, he cannot even bring himself to utter a word of reproach.

As long as it doesn't involve class competition, the two of them even go out for drinks together on the weekends.

But once class rankings are involved... those deliberately forgotten old scores suddenly become more important than final exam results.

Returning to the main point, in short, it had been a long time since he had seen the two of them so serious.

However, starting to put in the effort now is, ultimately, too late.

"Class A at the end of this month should still be my class," Mashima Tomoya said quite seriously, "Those children discovered the hidden rules just a few days after school started, and they haven't lost more than 80 class points to this day."