Classroom of the Elite: After the Intelligence Refresh, They All Want to Win Me Over! Chapter 40

(Class C is this weak? Could Class D be full of trash too? Heh... Could it be that only Classes B and A are worthy opponents?)

(Luckily, those top students' sense of superiority still gave me an opportunity.)

The scene in the cafeteria a few days ago surfaced in his mind—the silver-haired cripple's condescending gaze, as if she were admiring a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

That nauseating sense of superiority had instead become the perfect clue.

Afterward, he sent people to investigate her identity.

The girl with the cane was Sakayanagi Arisu of Class A, and one of its leaders.

So when he passed by Class A last night, he deliberately planted two listening devices by the door.

He hadn't expected that, just after school today, he would hear something that could only be called a "major scoop."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

(The information war... isn't limited to solving problems head-on.)

(Even if I don't know the information myself... probing for it through other classes that do is also a strategic option.)

(Since I can't send a spy this time, I'll have to make do with listening devices.)

He spun his phone around in his palm and quickly opened a certain contact's chat.

Ryuen Kakeru: Save your breath, you loser. You really think that little bit of information will make me pay a million points?

Ryuen Kakeru: I already know those so-called hidden rules of yours.

His thumb pressed hard on the send button. The recipient's name was displayed clearly: "Yueqing."

A few days ago, when he had received a friend request from this mysterious person, Yueqing, he hadn't taken them seriously.

But to his surprise, not only had the other party replied quickly, they had also made an even more shocking offer.

Yueqing: Looks like you already know? That saves me the trouble of explaining.

Yueqing: We can get straight to the point and discuss our next deal.

Ryuen Kakeru stared at the screen, his brow furrowed.

Ryuen Kakeru: Wait, don't you only sell information?

Yueqing: What age are you living in? Who only sells information these days?

Yueqing: Let me see... Hmm? Your whole class is here... This makes things even easier.

Ryuen's heart jolted. He abruptly looked around the room—the classroom door was clearly locked!

"Are you listening in on me?" he blurted out.

Yueqing: It's not a listening device. I'm watching you openly through the two cameras in your classroom.

Yueqing: So, Ryuen, how many million points are you willing to pay to rent these two surveillance cameras in your classroom?

070 Smashing the Cameras / Was This Sakayanagi Arisu's Doing?

"Tch... I got played!"

Ryuen Kakeru's knuckles slammed against the desk, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip.

He stared at the surveillance camera blinking red on the ceiling, as if he could burn through it with his gaze.

(Who's pulling the strings behind the scenes?)

The thought spun wildly through his mind.

He saw through the other party's scheme almost instantly—the camera access was a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

The surveillance footage that kept streaming in was like silent mockery, an open declaration: either pay an exorbitant number of points to buy out access, or live under surveillance forever.

"You can rent out surveillance cameras? This school really does take 'points can do anything' to the extreme." Ryuen forced a cold laugh through his teeth. His account did indeed hold more than three million points, collected over the past few days. The class funds that should have made him feel triumphant were now about to end up in someone else's pocket.

After thinking for a moment, Ryuen Kakeru decisively picked up his phone and messaged his homeroom teacher, Sakagami Kazuma.

Ryuen Kakeru: How many points does it cost to rent the school's surveillance room?

Sakagami Kazuma replied quickly: You can't rent it. The school just issued a notice prohibiting students from buying, renting, using, or replacing any equipment on campus. In short, some matters are at the School Administration's discretion.

"Just prohibited?" Ryuen's pupils contracted sharply. "Does that mean... the other party was the first to take advantage of the loophole?"

He immediately realized how serious the situation was. His fingers flew across the screen as he tentatively messaged Yueqing.

Ryuen Kakeru: How much do you want?

The reply was brief and direct.

Yueqing: Three million points.

"Damn it!" Ryuen's hand trembled slightly around his phone, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

The figure was terrifyingly precise—it was exactly the total balance of his class-fund account today.

This mysterious person knew his financial situation inside out and was demanding an exorbitant amount, trying to swallow up his entire reserve of class funds in one gulp.

Even worse, this meant the other party might have been watching him for a long time, and he didn't even know who they were.

"Since when..." Ryuen gritted his teeth.

He had thought his method of using listening devices to obtain Class A's information was clever enough. But compared with this mysterious person openly charging for access to the surveillance system, it was child's play.

This all-encompassing surveillance and this precise command of information were on a completely different level.

Ryuen's temples throbbed. The feeling of being backed into a corner sent his blood boiling.

(It can't be second-years... Vice President Nagumo wouldn't bother with something like this. The third-year Student Council President wouldn't care either...)

(So it can only be a first-year short on points?)

"Ryuen! What's wrong?" Ishizaki Daichi noticed that his leader looked unwell and hurried over to check on him.

When he happened to catch sight of the messages on the other boy's screen, his eyes widened.

"What?! Someone's using the cameras in our classroom to spy on Class C?!" Ishizaki cried out, his rough voice bursting through the classroom.

"What's going on? When did this start?"

"Explain!"

"Weren't these cameras installed by the school?"

The quiet Class C erupted into an uproar. The students peppered him with questions, and panic spread like ripples.

"Shut your mouth!" Ryuen Kakeru froze for a moment, then angrily kicked Ishizaki.

He hadn't planned to tell this bunch of idiots what was going on—it would only undermine the foundation of the authority he had worked so hard to build. He hadn't expected his own teammate to be such a loudmouth.

"Ryuen!" Ishizaki rubbed his sore backside and looked up at him with wounded eyes.

But Ryuen couldn't even be bothered to spare him a glance. His mind was entirely occupied with weighing his options.

Being forced to accept surveillance? The humiliation made his stomach clench.

He was a hunter accustomed to controlling everything. Now, he had become a trapped animal caught in someone else's web of surveillance.

But the camera's cold lens, unblinking as an eye, made him feel watched from all sides.

Destroying the equipment? How naive. The other party controlled access to the surveillance system; smashing the hardware would be pointless.

And they might even deduct a huge number of...

"Crash!"

A deafening shattering sound cut off his thoughts.

Ryuen Kakeru spun around. Ishizaki was holding a chair over his head, and the surveillance camera above him had been smashed to pieces. Wires dangled like severed snake tails.

"If the cameras are the problem, then smashing them solves it!" Ishizaki grinned triumphantly, pride written all over his face.

"Good idea!"

"Then they can't deduct our class points!"

A few scattered voices of agreement rose around the classroom, and several boys even started cracking their knuckles.

(Did these idiots come to school without their brains?)

Ryuen Kakeru felt his temples throb. The last thread of his patience snapped.

He sprang to his feet and kicked Ishizaki hard behind the knee. Caught off guard, Ishizaki fell to his knees. "What the hell is wrong with your brain? The surveillance data is transmitted over the internet! What good does smashing this terminal do? The school can replace it in minutes! If you keep damaging school property, what are you going to use to make up for all the class points we lose?"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ishizaki's forehead.

He opened his mouth, but in the end could only lower his head in defeat.

"Ryuen... I was wrong this time. From now on, I'll listen to you! I'll do whatever you say! If you tell me to go east, I absolutely won't go west."

"Get lost! Go sit back at your desk! Don't do anything! I can't be bothered with you right now!"

Ryuen suddenly realized that the surveillance camera was recording him losing control.

That would undoubtedly bring even more severe punishment down on the class.

"Damn it... Looks like I have no choice but to rent them!" He gritted his teeth and had to make the decision.

On second thought, renting the surveillance equipment wasn't entirely without benefits.

It would let him effectively counter any prying eyes in the shadows while avoiding the risk of losing class points for violating the rules.

He had been full of confidence, believing that his iron-fisted methods would be enough to make the idiots in Class C obey him.

But reality had dealt him a harsh blow—some people were simply beyond help. No amount of threats or enticements could change how stupid they were.

In that case, he might as well rent the cameras. At least that would give him some protection.

The deal was like poisoned honey: he knew it was dangerous, but had no choice but to swallow it.

Ryuen swept his gaze over his classmates, his eyes dark and cold.

(Isn't there a single person here who can think?)

His gaze finally settled on Shiina Hiyori in the corner. In all of Class C, she was the only one watching him with a thoughtful expression.

Ryuen suddenly found the situation absurd. This school claimed to value ability above all else, yet it had put a bunch of brawny idiots in the same class as him.

(Which class is the real Class D...?)

(If I hadn't taken over the class by force at the start of the year, would these people have already wasted all our Class Points?)

He couldn't help clenching his fists.

But the anger of being made a fool of burned hotter in his chest, especially when he thought of one possibility—

(A web of silver threads...)

Ryuen suddenly broke into a dangerous smile.

(Could you have done this!... Sakayanagi Arisu... After all, your father is the chairman! It wouldn't be so far-fetched if you bought surveillance access from him!)

If she really was the one pulling the strings, then the game would be truly interesting—using the points he had extorted to extort him in return was a brilliant way to fight fire with fire.

(Is this your revenge, Sakayanagi? Have you already found out that I overheard your class's hidden information?)

"Hahaha! This is getting more and more interesting!"

Ryuen suddenly burst out laughing, frightening the surrounding students into silence.

He roughly wiped away the tears of laughter, but his gaze only grew sharper.

This game of cat and mouse had only just begun, and what he loved most was dragging a high-and-mighty queen down from her throne.

P.S. I'll be posting two extra chapters today, one for the recommendation tickets and one for the monthly tickets. Thanks for your votes.

071 Was Class A About to Turn on Itself?

After school.

Shimizu Akira returned to the Student Council and sat across from President Horikita Manabu, looking over the rental contract he had handed him.

It was only a school, yet much of the time it felt like a miniature society, full of rules and transactions.

He skimmed through the contract, confirmed that everything was in order, and then signed his name.

Afterward, he transferred all 1.2 million points from his account to the other party.

Starting today, he officially had access to the eight surveillance cameras in those four classrooms.

"By the way, President." Shimizu Akira suddenly thought of an important question. "If... some genius in one of the classes impulsively damages the surveillance equipment, how should that be handled?"