Classroom of the Elite: After Her Intelligence Updated, They All Wanted to Win Me Over! Chapter 4

Just like in chess, it was only when facing an evenly matched opponent that you could experience the true joy of the game.

Too easy...

If they couldn't even see through the school's true nature before the entrance ceremony—

Then they weren't worthy of being my opponent.

Perhaps that was an excessively high standard.

But since she herself could meet it, any opponent worth looking forward to should naturally be able to as well.

—Just then, fate answered her.

Finally... someone decent.

The instant the black-haired boy stepped into the convenience store, Sakayanagi Arisu's pupils contracted slightly.

His deliberate walk toward the free-items shelf was far too intentional—just like her own move moments earlier.

When several upperclassmen appeared, his almost imperceptible nod gave everything away.

I see...

Did he need D-Class seniors to corroborate his deduction?

Surprisingly thorough, and a little adorably rigid.

A pleased smile tugged at Sakayanagi's lips.

In her eyes, such excessive caution was like unnecessary working on a math test—

Precise, but lacking elegance.

Sakayanagi Arisu lightly tapped her fingertips against her cane, never once taking her eyes off the boy.

His short hair was neatly trimmed, and his red uniform made his frame look even more upright—his height advantage was so pronounced that she had to tilt her face up slightly.

Her cane tapped against the floor with a crisp sound.

A faint smile played on her lips, and a dangerous interest gleamed in her amethyst eyes.

Compared with all those mediocrities, this opponent—so handsome that even his caution seemed excessive—was certainly more to her taste.

"Classmate..."

Shimizu Akira was slightly taken aback.

Did she see through me?

The girl's words were like a finely crafted key, precisely unlocking the discovery they had made in common.

His eyes instinctively shifted to the cane she was leaning on—so she had noticed even earlier than he had, but her limited mobility had held her back.

If I hadn't gone to the restroom...

He immediately cut off the thought.

His gaze passed over the girl's slender ankles, and a feeling akin to competitiveness quietly faded away.

In the face of such an overwhelming physical disadvantage, any comparison would be less than gentlemanly.

"Mm, you're right," Shimizu Akira replied briefly.

The silver-haired girl kept her faint smile, standing motionless like an actor in a carefully choreographed pantomime.

Her deliberate silence made the air feel strange—was she waiting for him to say something else?

But Shimizu Akira's attention had already turned to the first piece of information that had refreshed today:

[Information 1: At exactly 10:30 a.m. today (after the entrance ceremony), Class 1-A's Kamuro Masumi will "help herself" to a can of beer at the school convenience store.]

Scouting the place in advance... very professional.

His gaze discreetly swept over the alcohol section.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a purple-haired girl—the girl's gaze was precisely skimming the blind spot of the surveillance camera, and she was the only one lingering in the alcohol aisle.

The silver-haired girl suddenly tapped her cane against the floor three times, the crisp sound pulling Shimizu Akira's attention back.

"Classmate?" Her lips curved in a knowing smile. "It seems we're observing the same person. I suppose geniuses are drawn to one another." The tip of her cane pointed precisely toward Kamuro Masumi. "This is the sixth time Kamuro Masumi has checked the camera's blind spot, the fourth time she's glanced at the clerk, and the second time..." The tip of the cane traced an elegant arc in the air. "...she's stared at a particular can of beer."

Shimizu Akira followed her gesture and saw that the purple-haired girl was unconsciously biting her lower lip, her fingers trembling nervously above the beer can.

"But..." The silver-haired girl suddenly lowered her voice and lightly pressed her cane against Shimizu Akira's wrist. "This has to be the worst possible time.

"Right after class points have been handed out, the store is at its busiest... If she gets caught, she'll be utterly humiliated. Classmate, do you agree with me?" Her gaze locked onto Shimizu Akira's eyes.

007 Can you calculate 15 × 24 × 16 within one minute?

For a moment, Shimizu Akira almost thought the other person had a special information system just like his.

But after hearing the girl's meticulous analysis, he realized that she had reached her conclusions entirely through observation.

It was rare to find a high school student with such keen insight.

Hm? She knows Kamuro Masumi? Does that mean she's in Class A too?

The thought flashed through his mind. After a moment's consideration, Shimizu Akira offered a different view. "Because it's so busy right now, the crowds actually make it easier to blend in. Acting at this time would make her less likely to get caught."

"...Correct." The silver-haired girl's lips curved slightly, and her moonlight-colored hair swayed gently as she nodded. "Judging by that person's actions and mannerisms, she's clearly an experienced thief. She's enjoying the thrill of committing a crime. Your observations are accurate."

"Were you testing me just now?" Shimizu Akira suddenly realized.

The girl didn't answer directly, only offering a meaningful little laugh. "Why don't you hear my conclusion instead?" She paused, her voice filled with unquestionable certainty. "I believe she'll act after the entrance ceremony."

The conclusion greatly surprised Shimizu Akira.

What she said was exactly the same as the information he had.

"Then, classmate, can you guess the reasoning behind my conclusion too?" The silver-haired girl leaned forward slightly.

Shimizu Akira didn't answer directly. Instead, he glanced at the thinning crowd in the convenience store. "Because the entrance ceremony is about to start?"

"Exactly!" The girl snapped her fingers in delight. "More precisely, there are thirty-two seconds left."

As if to prove her prediction, the school broadcast came on exactly thirty-two seconds later. "All students, please proceed to the gymnasium immediately. The entrance ceremony is about to begin."

Kamuro Masumi, not far away, turned stiffly and blended into the crowd leaving the store—the figure she cut looked less like someone giving up than a hunter temporarily sheathing her claws.

"Mental arithmetic?" Shimizu Akira asked.

"Just a little pastime to kill time."

"Then can you calculate 15 times 24 times 16 in under a minute?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's expression instantly froze.

The problem was so simple that she felt insulted. "...5,760," she answered coldly, obvious displeasure in her voice. "Even a middle schooler could do that in their head. If you really want to test someone's mental arithmetic, at least give them a four-digit number."

"Is that so?" Shimizu Akira smiled unconcernedly. "But for an ordinary high school student, getting the answer within a minute isn't easy." He suddenly changed tack. "Did you feel insulted, classmate? Then why didn't I feel insulted when you threw two probing questions at me just now?"

She's been testing me from the start with that condescending attitude, yet now she acts offended over an ordinary mental arithmetic problem...

That arrogance is practically an inborn sense of entitlement. No wonder she's a Class A student.

He gave the silver-haired girl one last look. She really was strikingly beautiful, but the superiority etched into her bones left a stronger impression.

Hm? Was this young lady a bratty little sadist?

Shimizu Akira turned to leave. He had only taken three or five steps when a voice as clear as a silver bell rang out behind him.

"Classmate, please wait."

Before she had finished speaking, there was a sharp crack.

The cane had flown through the air and landed a meter in front of Shimizu Akira's feet.

He stopped abruptly, first looking down at the cane lying across his path, then slowly turning around.

The silver-haired girl had lowered her head slightly, making it impossible to read her expression.

"I'm Sakayanagi Arisu of Class A." Her voice was like melting snow, with none of its earlier sharpness. "As you can see, my heart is terribly weak. I can't even hurry after you, so I had no choice but to resort to this."

She pointed to the cane and looked at Shimizu Akira, her expression full of apology. "I was rude just now. Can you forgive me? If you're still upset, feel free to hit me with it a couple of times."

Shimizu Akira's eyebrows twitched, surprise flashing in his eyes.

This haughty young lady was now able to lower her head and apologize so frankly—she was more interesting than he'd expected.

Then, in the next instant, he froze.

Why did this sound so familiar?

Horikita Suzune's face flashed through his mind.

Wasn't this exactly the same feigned-weakness tactic he had just used to turn the tables?

Shimizu Akira's gaze lingered on Sakayanagi Arisu for a moment.

The girl's slightly bowed posture made her appear all the more fragile, as though a gust of wind could knock her over.

—Would any normal person actually hit her?

Especially when she was a frail girl with a weak heart.

His gaze shifted upward without drawing attention, landing on a surveillance camera blinking in the corner. The cold lens was silently recording the scene.

I see.

If he hit her, he'd be handing her leverage with his own hands.

If he didn't, he'd be accepting her apology.

The silver-haired girl maintained her humble posture, but Shimizu Akira clearly saw the fleeting curve of her lips.

—What a masterful trap, leaving him no way out.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, you really do have a lot of tricks up your sleeve."

Shimizu Akira suddenly stepped forward. As Sakayanagi Arisu stared at him in surprise, he flicked her forehead lightly with a finger.

"Thunk—"

The sharp flick landed on her smooth forehead. It wasn't hard, but it was enough to make her knit her brows.

"You—!" Sakayanagi Arisu covered her reddening forehead, a rare flicker of emotion in her eyes. "You actually hit a lady who can barely move!"

"Can barely move?" Shimizu Akira let out a low laugh. He bent down to pick up the cane she had thrown, then lightly tapped its shaft with his knuckle. "You didn't hesitate to throw it like a weapon just now. Besides, didn't you say I could do whatever it took to feel better?"

He handed the cane back to her, his fingertips brushing her cool palm before pulling away at once.

"Let's call that flick even." Shimizu Akira took half a step back and glanced at the blinking surveillance camera in the corner. "I left no evidence, and I accepted your apology too—a fair trade, don't you think?" He paused. "And one more thing: don't always put yourself on a pedestal."

Sakayanagi Arisu's slender fingers tightened slowly around her cane. She suddenly looked up, a sharp curve lifting her lips. "The gap between people is sometimes determined by talent—like birds and fish, who are destined to live in completely different worlds. How can you expect me to treat all those mediocrities as equals?"

Shimizu Akira couldn't help laughing. "How much resolve did it take you to say something that embarrassing? Are you going through a chuunibyou phase?"

008 Horikita Suzune: Shimizu Akira is a stand-in for my older brother, so I can't hate him.

When Shimizu Akira was young, he had also gone through a chuunibyou phase.

Back then, he had been inexplicably confident, stubbornly convinced he was different from everyone else and smarter than those around him.

It wasn't until he went to university and entered the workforce after graduating that his childish sense of superiority gradually faded.

Looking at the silver-haired girl before him, he suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

As expected... she's a sheltered young lady who hasn't been taught a lesson by reality yet.

He silently came to that conclusion.

That condescending arrogance was probably the result of growing up without a hitch—she had never faced a real setback, nor met an opponent who could utterly defeat her.

His assessment: one crushing defeat should teach her a lesson and at least somewhat correct her arrogant attitude.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say." Shimizu Akira waved his hand carelessly. "The entrance ceremony is about to start, so I'm leaving."

He turned and walked away, brisk and decisive, showing no interest in continuing the conversation.

This guy!

Sakayanagi Arisu's slender fingers tightened unconsciously around her cane.

Of course she understood what "chuunibyou" meant—the childish delusions of teenagers. Could that possibly be compared to her own self-understanding, reached through rigorous reasoning?

Classmates? They're nothing but a bunch of mediocrities.