Classroom of the Elite, After the Information Refreshed, They Always Want to Conquer Me! 46

"Organize study sessions every day after school. Gradually improve the academic performance of others to fundamentally improve the overall quality of the class."

"You're only looking at grades? Class Points are the key, aren't they? Speaking of which, how is your foreign policy coming along?"

"Foreign policy?" Horikita Suzune clearly hadn't expected this question.

"I mean the strategic deployment against the other three classes." Shimizu Akira leaned forward, his words crisp and clear. "Are you just burying your head in developing Class D? Are you forming alliances or confronting other classes? How are you gathering intelligence? How do you plan to erode the opponent's Class Points... Honestly, I told you long ago, in this school, you can't rely solely on grades..."

Mid-sentence, Shimizu Akira suddenly stopped.

Because Horikita was wearing a slightly bewildered expression again.

(Am I thinking too deeply, or is she looking at this too shallowly?)

"Let's be blunt," Shimizu Akira straightened up, tapping his fingertips on the desk. "It's not that I can't help you, but 80,000 points is nowhere near enough." His gaze shifted to Kushida Kikyou on the podium. "Besides, why wouldn't I choose to cooperate with the current class representative? Her popularity and influence are far greater than yours."

Shimizu Akira watched Horikita's body tense up and calmly delivered the final blow: "With your current abilities and bargaining chips... I'm afraid I must refuse."

Horikita Suzune whipped her head around to glare at Shimizu Akira, hissing through gritted teeth: "...How dare you compare me to her!"

At the same time, on the podium, Kushida Kikyou began her address as class representative with her signature sweet smile.

She rested her hands lightly on the edge of the podium.

"Everyone," her voice was crisp and pleasant, yet carried a hint of regret, "I'm sorry to inform you that because more than half of our class violated the daily code of conduct over the past two weeks, our Class Points have been deducted quite significantly."

A wave of whispers immediately broke out in the classroom.

Kushida paused at the right moment, waiting for the murmurs to die down before continuing: "Although I would love to encourage everyone to start studying hard and behaving well from now on... it seems it might be a little too late for that. And besides... I actually really dislike forcing anyone to do anything."

"However, I carefully studied the deduction rules and discovered an interesting fact—" She held up her index finger and winked playfully, "The vast majority of the reasons our class was penalized came from those two surveillance cameras in the classroom!"

Kushida lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret: "So... if we could take a step ahead and delete the surveillance footage from those two cameras... we could at least preserve over 900 Class Points this month!"

The final sentence was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly sparking a heated discussion among the other students in the classroom.

"Are you serious!"

"There's a possibility for our class to get 900 points!"

"Doesn't that mean we could become Class A next month!"

"Hahaha... interesting! But! It shouldn't be that simple, right! Tell us your 'but'!" Kouenji Rokusuke suddenly burst into a loud laugh, the sound tinged with amusement, yet it instantly cooled the heated atmosphere.

"Of course, there are conditions." Kushida Kikyou blinked her eyes, which were noticeably shadowed with dark circles, a gentle smile hanging on her lips.

She paused, allowing everyone to focus their attention: "We need to pay 3 million private points to rent the two surveillance cameras in the classroom. However..." Her gaze swept over everyone present, "Considering that our Class Points have already been deducted heavily over the past two weeks, trading 3 million private points for 400 to 500 Class Points should be a very worthwhile deal."

To prepare for this first speech as class representative, Kushida had stayed up until nearly three in the morning.

She had meticulously refined every detail, especially the sensitive topic of surveillance, which had to be handled with extreme caution.

She decided to adopt a gradual strategy.

Throw out the most attractive benefits first, then delve deeper step by step.

The wording of every sentence and the timing of every pause had been carefully designed.

(Kushida-san is performing well today.)

Shimizu Akira marveled to himself.

He had originally thought Kushida was only good at interpersonal relationships, but the eloquence she was displaying now truly surprised him.

Emotional intelligence is actually no less important than raw intelligence, and the order in which you speak is also crucial.

If you had put the surveillance issue first, the effect might not have been this good.

Come to think of it? Could it be? Is Kushida Kikyou actually well-suited to be a class representative?

Class D really has too many talented people.

(If she continues to reform the others in Class D and change their mindsets, it might actually be possible for them to improve.)

(It feels like, apart from Yamauchi and a few others, everyone has something they are clearly good at!)

Don't look at how Ike Kanji often hangs out with the others; he once mentioned he had experience with camping.

He didn't seem like he was bragging like Yamauchi, so it was highly likely to be true.

(Why does Class D give me a feeling that's no less than Class A!)

(Even though there are plenty of troublemakers, each one of them is truly capable!)

Shimizu Akira had to admit that, as things stood, Class D did indeed have the strength to compete for Class A.

Because yesterday, he had roughly observed all four classes.

Class C was undoubtedly the weakest, while the other three classes gave him the feeling that they were evenly matched.

"So... do you think I'm wrong? As you are now, you simply aren't as good as Kushida Kikyou. Her value as a class representative is greater than yours. If it were you, could you have delivered a speech with such high emotional intelligence?" Shimizu Akira thought for a moment, then looked at Horikita Suzune and stated the objective fact.

"..." Horikita Suzune looked at the female student on the podium, whose smile seemed fake to her, and for the first time, a feeling emerged in her heart—perhaps, the other girl wasn't that detestable after all.

080 Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji, you two come out and reflect on your mistakes!

"A fake smile... can also be useful?"

"Don't worry about whether she's acting or not; at the very least, while she is being sought after by everyone, she is sincerely planning for the class. If she can 'act' like this for three years, then she is the most suitable person to be the class representative."

"...I see, so that is your intention?"

Horikita Suzune's eyes flickered, as if she had finally understood something.

Although every confrontation with Shimizu Akira ended with her being rendered speechless, she managed to capture new insights from his words every single time.

"Only by placing Kushida Kikyou in a high position can her value be maximized?"

"By comparison, Hirata's personality is too gentle, making him better suited to step back into a secondary role."

"So... that is why you secretly pushed for Kushida to be elected class representative?"

Horikita Suzune suddenly thought of a question: if Hirata Yosuke had become the class representative from the start, would Kushida Kikyou still be dedicating herself to the class with all her heart as she does now?

As soon as this thought emerged, her heart sank—she felt as if she had done something wrong, and done it completely wrong.

Should she not have voted for Hirata Yosuke back then?

She seemed to have only considered her own feelings, never examining the class from an objective perspective. Her thinking had been too naive.

Shimizu Akira was right; with her current abilities, she truly did not seem qualified to be the class representative.

"I hadn't considered these things, but you are right—for Class D, having Kushida Kikyou as the class representative is the optimal solution." Shimizu Akira nodded, directly agreeing with her words.

Horikita Suzune's judgment this time was indeed correct.

Having Kushida Kikyou as the class representative was the best outcome.

If she were relegated to a secondary position, she likely wouldn't be putting her heart and soul into the class as she was now.

Conversely, Hirata Yosuke didn't actually care about the rank of his position; he could perform his duties well regardless of where he was placed.

Although this conclusion was somewhat unfair to Hirata, it was the truth—this gentle boy was better suited to be a supporter.

He had leadership talent, but he lacked the necessary sharpness.

"This deal looks like a sure win no matter how you look at it!"

"Class points are worth so much more than personal points! Besides, after installing the surveillance... hehe, won't it be more convenient to skip class in the future?"

"...I don't want to live under a surveillance camera all day!"

Although their reasons varied, most students eventually accepted the proposal.

However, a more realistic problem immediately surfaced.

"That's 75,000 points per person!"

"We don't have that many points on hand! We already spent one million points last time."

"That's true..."

3 million class points—to the current Class D, that was simply an astronomical figure.

"Did the other party agree to let us delay payment until next month?"

"If that were the case... it wouldn't be impossible to consider."

Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji finally realized that the class simply didn't have 3 million points to spare.

If they were to pay the points, they would likely have to postpone it until next month.

As the frequent flyers with the most violations in the class, they had actually been receiving cold shoulders from their classmates over the past few days.

For them, renting surveillance equipment had actually become a good thing.

Trading 75,000 points each for 400-500 class points was a deal that couldn't be more cost-effective.

Even these two, who were not usually good at calculating, clearly understood at this moment:

It was like spending 75,000 yen at once, but being able to increase their monthly income by 40,000 yen.

As long as they endured for two months, they would completely break even—why wouldn't they do such a good thing?

"Unfortunately... the deadline given by the other party is seven o'clock tonight, and for every hour we are late, an additional 100,000 points will be charged." Hirata Yosuke explained the situation to everyone with a heavy tone.

"Yeah! So I intend to continue negotiating with them. If that really doesn't work, perhaps we could consult the Student Council to see if they have a loan service? After all, as long as we get through this one time, things will go much more smoothly afterward." Kushida Kikyou tried to ease the atmosphere with a relaxed tone.

"--Wait a minute!" Horikita Suzune suddenly stood up.

This was the first time she had taken the initiative to speak in front of the entire class, and almost everyone's eyes were fixed on her.

Shimizu Akira also looked at her with slight surprise; was his explanation just now not sufficient? Or was she planning to oppose the rental of the surveillance?

Kushida Kikyou maintained her signature sweet smile: "Horikita-san, you wouldn't be wanting to oppose renting the surveillance, would you?"

In her view, raising an objection when the vast majority of students had already expressed their support was truly unwise.

"I support renting the surveillance system." To everyone's surprise, Horikita Suzune gave an affirmative reply, "But I want to add one point—after we get the surveillance, we shouldn't delete the footage. Instead, we should carefully watch the replays to identify the students who frequently violate rules and cause the class to lose points."

"It is precisely because of the improper behavior of these people that, without the existence of surveillance, our class points will likely be completely wiped out by the end of the month. There is no reason for our entire class to pay for the mistakes of a few!"

"Those people must deeply reflect on their mistakes!"

When she said this, her gaze looked undisguisedly at Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji.

It could be said that among the class, the people with the most violations were likely these two!

Why should they be allowed to stay behind the scenes as if it were only natural?

This time, the surveillance footage saved them, but to prevent a recurrence, they at least deserve a severe punishment.

This is fairness! It is also a perfectly reasonable course of action!

Shimizu Akira paused, only then realizing why he had also thought highly of Horikita Suzune in the beginning.

Just like the Student Council president, her sense of justice and inability to tolerate any flaws seem to be the traits that strictly distinguish her from other leaders.

As the saying goes, whether it is Hirata or Kushida, their personalities are simply too soft.

Sometimes, making an example of someone is necessary.

Playing house and messing around in the mud will only allow the small group of rotten apples in the class to keep acting arrogant.

Sometimes, when punishment is due, it must be administered!

"Hmm! Well said! I thought you were an annoying person, but you are absolutely right about this!" Shinohara Satsuki couldn't help but nod. "We can rent the surveillance footage! We can clean up after some people for the sake of the class's overall interests! But we absolutely cannot suffer in silence! We must find those people! At the very least, they have to apologize to the entire class! Make them tuck their tails and behave themselves for a while! That is the absolute bare minimum!"

"Horikita-san's words were spot on; my opinion of her has changed a bit."

"I thought she was just sharp-tongued, but she was completely right this time!"

081 Ichinose Honami is just too easy to handle

Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji were not slow-witted; the two exchanged a glance and immediately sensed the dozen or so unfriendly gazes directed at them from around the classroom.

In particular, the sharp gaze from Horikita Suzune was almost tangible.

That look clearly said: it is you two who are dragging down the entirety of Class D.

If not for the surveillance records as proof, you would be the black sheep of the class.

Ike Kanji snuck a glance at Shinohara Satsuki, feeling inexplicably guilty.

His nature was not malicious, so he lowered his head and admitted his fault straightforwardly: "Sorry, I really didn't know that skipping class or being late would deduct class points at the start of the term. Since I know now, I promise I won't do anything to harm the collective interest again; after all, this also affects my own monthly personal points."

However, Yamauchi Haruki's reaction was completely different; he retorted without a second thought: "The surveillance footage hasn't even been rented yet, has it? What right do you have to accuse us? Besides, saying the class points will drop to zero is way too exaggerated! We'll at least have three or four hundred points left by the end of the month!"