Classroom of the Elite, I Can Add Points Infinitely Chapter 11

In other words, a well-deserved genius of the world.

A being who could represent the meaning of "genius" far better than someone like her, who was flawed!

[Humans can never overcome innate talent; there exists a gap between people that no amount of effort can bridge.]

This had been her creed ever since she visited a certain artificial genius institution in her childhood.

But at this very moment, facing the person before her, she was willing to discard that creed to prove that the so-called unbridgeable gap did not exist.

As long as her intellect was profound enough, even with this frail body, she would surely be able to bury this all-around genius in the school's exams!

"Classmate Aragaki really has no sense of chivalry at all."

Sakayanagi Arisu sighed, looking pitiful and delicate.

But the next moment, the girl's cute face turned stern, her tone as cold as snow in the dead of winter.

"Thanks to you, Classmate Aragaki, the students in my class who used to obey me seem to have developed different ideas."

"And I still remember the humiliation of yesterday; I've been thinking about when I might have the chance to return the favor."

Clearly, with so many people watching in the Chess Club yesterday, that match involving a million points must have already spread.

Sakayanagi Arisu losing this match wasn't actually a major issue.

But the problem was that the reason she lost was that she ran out of physical stamina halfway through the game, to the point where it felt like she might collapse if it continued.

This had a massive impact on the girl's prestige within her class.

One must realize that in this match, the time Sakayanagi Arisu spent thinking at full capacity was actually less than forty minutes.

Most people cannot understand how energy-consuming a mental sport like chess is; they only know that Sakayanagi Arisu is a sickly weakling who can faint from playing chess for too long.

If she were to compete against other classes, let alone physical competitions, it was possible that if an exam lasted too long, she might have to withdraw halfway through even in a battle of wits.

The girl already had a lower approval rating in Class A than the other class core who appeared more reliable, due to her sickly demeanor.

Now that this had happened, many neutral parties who were still hesitating immediately turned toward the other faction.

Fortunately, the wisdom Sakayanagi Arisu displayed when pointing out the school's hidden rules yesterday still gave people something to look forward to—or rather, what everyone was looking forward to more was her identity as the daughter of the Board Chairman.

In short, regardless of what the members of Class A were considering in their hearts, at least those who had already decided to join the Sakayanagi Faction had not withdrawn; she remained one of the leaders of Class A.

"So, are you here to declare war?"

Aragaki Shun wore a confused expression; being entangled with such a troublesome person was truly bad luck.

"Classmate Sakayanagi, if you feel you've lost face, I can apologize to you right here. Please don't come near me again."

"But if you think you can use this body of yours to play the victim, thinking that 'might makes right' because you're weak, and want to rely on your own defects to tie my hands... then I can only say, while the Sakayanagi Family is certainly not bad, my Aragaki Family is not to be trifled with either!"

Dropping these words without a hint of politeness, Aragaki Shun glanced at the few lackeys following behind Sakayanagi, his gaze as sharp as a blade, causing the group to swallow nervously.

Why did it feel like this person's aura had suddenly become so exaggerated? It didn't seem like much when viewed from a distance earlier.

Ignoring Sakayanagi Arisu, who was clenching her fists and bulging with veins as if she had been insulted, Aragaki Shun took a step back and returned directly to the Class B group.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't care about someone else's challenge—whether it was martial arts, wisdom, wealth, or even power. A match was just a match, and winning or losing were both decent experiences; he would continue to grow in the future regardless.

But the problem was that someone like Sakayanagi Arisu looked like a massive headache.

Although yesterday was their first meeting, Aragaki Shun could vaguely sense the intense aggression in her heart, as well as her arrogant personality that treated everyone as pawns or toys.

In his experience, people with these traits often stopped at nothing to get what they wanted. They considered themselves superior and above the common crowd, and therefore, they wouldn't care about whether their actions were despicable in the eyes of ordinary people.

If it were just that, it would be fine; Aragaki Shun could just counter her moves as they came. If she really pushed him too far, he wouldn't mind giving her a sound beating.

But facing a sickly girl like Sakayanagi Arisu, he was afraid that if he just casually retaliated, she would end up in the emergency room.

At that point, he would gain nothing and only end up covered in trouble—why would he bother with that?

The air pressure around the white-haired girl grew increasingly heavy. She stared fixedly at Aragaki Shun's departing figure; never before had anyone humiliated her to this extent!

Yet, even as she gnashed her teeth in hatred, the girl knew that the other party was not one of those toys in Class A that she could manipulate at will.

His family background was no weaker than the Sakayanagi Family, and having given a warning, he would certainly not be polite if faced with further provocation.

If she were to chase after him now, it would only validate his claim that she was playing the victim, resulting in nothing but self-inflicted humiliation.

"What a school that never fails to keep things interesting. Then, let's take it slow, Aragaki!"

20. Interrupting Manabu Horikita's Spellcasting

"You've been targeted by Sakayanagi Arisu?"

Back in the Class B group, Kanzaki Ryuji frowned as he looked at Aragaki Shun.

"Ever since we were children, Sakayanagi has always been this aggressive. She always has to get her hands on the things she's interested in, play with them, and then discard them at will."

"She seems to care deeply about her status as a genius, so her desire to win is excessive. After you made her lose face on the chessboard, she will likely use other means to prove her strength."

Although the two hadn't met many times, Kanzaki still found his impression of the girl from his memory and couldn't help but feel worried for Aragaki Shun.

"It is indeed a bit troublesome," Aragaki Shun nodded, though despite calling it troublesome, he didn't seem to care too much on his face. "But I have already issued a warning. If she competes normally in the exams, that's fine, but if she really wants to use underhanded methods, then I won't be able to show any mercy."

"...As long as you know what you're doing."

Kanzaki Ryuji wanted to say more but stopped himself, ultimately settling for that simple remark.

Regardless, since the challenger was standing right in front of him, it was impossible to expect Aragaki Shun to just take the beating without fighting back.

Although this school was a bit peculiar, it was still, at the end of the day, an institution for cultivating high school students; even if a conflict were to break out between the two sides, it shouldn't escalate into anything too outrageous.

While Kanzaki was comforting himself with this thought, the other students of Class B were curious as to why Aragaki Shun had been summoned by someone from Class A. He only replied that Class A had also discovered the truth about the school and had just been declaring war on him.

Upon hearing this, the eyes of everyone in Class B widened; they hadn't expected the class competition to intensify to such a degree so suddenly.

In an instant, the complacency they had felt after uncovering the school's hidden rules was replaced by a sense of tension.

Was this what it meant to be an upper-tier class that the school deemed superior to their own Class B?

Just as the entire Class B was discussing what impact Class A's declaration of war might have, the time neared five o'clock in the afternoon.

Before they knew it, the stage setup in the First Gymnasium was complete, and the club orientation session officially began under the guidance of a cute girl with purple hair styled in a bun.

"Attention, first-year students. Thank you for waiting."

"Next, representatives from each club will begin introducing the many clubs of Kodo Ikusei Senior High School."

"I am Tachibana, secretary of the Student Council, and I will be the moderator for this orientation. Please treat me well."

As the moderator finished her opening remarks, the various club representatives lined up on the gymnasium stage. Among them, Aragaki Shun spotted a few familiar faces—the very same unlucky souls from whom he had swindled points yesterday.

Aragaki Shun watched with great interest as each club representative took the stage to introduce their respective organizations.

Of course, he wasn't interested in joining any of these clubs.

He was instead contemplating which clubs were suitable for competition so he could go and harvest some more Private Points later.

By the time he snapped back to reality, the gymnasium was already immersed in a lively atmosphere.

In a normal school, the activity funding approved by the student council is often tied to the number of members in a club.

It seemed Kodo Ikusei Senior High School had similar regulations, as every representative who took the stage was quite enthusiastic about showcasing their club's strengths, all in an effort to recruit as many members as possible.

The seniors finished their speeches one by one and stepped down, heading toward an area filled with tables, which was presumably where the freshmen could submit their membership applications.

Finally, only one person remained on stage: the bespectacled man who had been directing the stage setup earlier.

However, to everyone's surprise, this senior remained on stage without saying a word, simply staring silently at the noisy freshmen below.

"Come on, say something!"

"Did you forget your script?"

"Hahaha, is this guy just going to stand there and say nothing?"

Seeing the bespectacled man remain silent, many people in the audience began to crack jokes.

But as time passed, that cold gaze shifted toward them, and those who had been mocking him suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure radiating from him.

One second, two seconds, three seconds... thirty seconds... one minute... two minutes...

An inexplicable atmosphere began to brew, and the once-noisy students gradually fell silent.

"Clap! Clap!!"

Suddenly, just as the entire gymnasium was about to sink into total stillness, two loud claps rang out from near the stage, directly shattering the intimidation tactic that was about to succeed.

"...Senior, could you please hurry it up? Everyone's time is precious."

Aragaki Shun stood leisurely in front of the crowd, locking eyes with the bespectacled man. Seeing that the senior still maintained a stiff expression, he offered the suggestion with feigned kindness.

He naturally understood that the other party intended to use silence to suppress the freshmen and leave a deep impression on everyone.

This method didn't seem bad; after all, due to the unique culture of Sarushima, most students had to learn a skill called "reading the air."

But you aren't the Board Chairman, a principal, or any other high-ranking school official, nor are you one of the teachers from Class B—you're just an upperclassman. What is the point of pulling this kind of intimidation tactic the very first time you meet the freshmen?

Could it be that the school prepares cross-grade exams, and he needed to leave a lasting impression on the first-years now to gain a psychological advantage in future school competitions?

Or perhaps the club he represented held significant power, and he needed to establish prestige to keep the first-year students in check?

Aragaki Shun didn't have enough information on that yet, but that didn't stop him from interrupting the other party's performance.

As the leader of the first-year Class B, he couldn't allow his classmates to be oppressed by an upperclassman.

Manabu Horikita gave Aragaki Shun a deep look. Realizing that his attempt had backfired, he stopped playing the mysterious act and, seizing the moment before more people could cause a scene, began to speak:

"I am the Student Council President of Kodo Ikusei, Manabu Horikita."

"With the departure of the previous year's students, the Student Council is in need of new members. The Student Council has no specific requirements for candidates, but if you are considering joining the Student Council, please refrain from joining other clubs..."

Aragaki Shun was listening quietly to the Student Council President's speech on stage when, out of nowhere, an inexplicable intuition drew his gaze elsewhere.

It was his unique talent, Danger Sense; whenever he was watched with malice or encountered an unexpected threat, he would experience a similar intuition.

He followed the instinctual prompt and shifted his gaze, only to find himself locking eyes with a pair of fox-like eyes in the area designated for the first-year Class D.

It was a cold beauty with long black hair reaching her waist, a ribbon and a long braid on the right side, and an aura that screamed "don't talk to me."

Aragaki Shun was somewhat surprised, not knowing when he had offended this stranger.

So, he grabbed the best socialite in Class B and pointed at the long-haired girl, asking:

"Ichinose, do you know the name of that person who looks like everyone owes her money?"

21. Meeting Koenji Rokusuke

"Horikita Suzune of Class D, first year, and the Student Council President, Manabu Horikita."

"So, I'm being targeted because I made her brother look bad?"

Manabu Horikita's speech had already concluded, and everyone was free to seek out the clubs they were interested in joining; Aragaki Shun had just learned the name of that long-haired girl from Ichinose Honami.

He didn't know Horikita Suzune, and the only thing he had done that might have drawn her hostility was interrupting Manabu Horikita mid-speech.

Judging by their shared surname and their respective grade levels, she must be the Student Council President's younger sister, right?

"So, why is the Student Council President's sister in Class D?"

Aragaki Shun was puzzled for a moment, but he immediately cast such an irrelevant matter to the back of his mind.

There were countless people who held malice toward him; if it weren't for the fact that this particular malice originated from Class D—a class he had absolutely no contact with—he might not have cared at all about who was unhappy with him.

He had already grasped the basic situation of the many clubs in the gymnasium, so he could easily find his targets when he went to challenge them later.

He checked his phone again; the time he had agreed upon with someone was almost up.

With that, Aragaki Shun signaled to Kanzaki and began to say his goodbyes to his classmates.

"Ichinose, I'll leave the rest of the class to you. Kanzaki and I are going to take care of a potential threat."

"I understand. Go ahead, Aragaki-kun. Everyone in the class will take good care of themselves."

After slipping out of the First Gymnasium with the silent Kanzaki Ryuji, the two headed straight for a high-end restaurant in the Keyaki Mall. After explaining the situation to the waiter, the staff politely led them to a private room where someone was already waiting.

It was a burly, blonde-haired man who radiated an air of doing exactly as he pleased. Even when Aragaki Shun and Kanzaki Ryuji entered, he only glanced up once before continuing to comb his hair and admire his own reflection in a mirror, as if no one else were present.

"First time meeting you, the only son of the Koenji Conglomerate. So this is what your personality is like?"

Aragaki Shun looked at Koenji Rokusuke with a strange expression. He had always been confident in his own looks, but he had never been the type to pull out a mirror in public to preen like this.

"My beauty is unique in this world. If I were to neglect it and let it be covered in dust, it would be an irreparable loss to the history of world art."

"Am I right, my two esteemed gentlemen?"

Koenji Rokusuke flashed a brief, noble smile. Once he saw that Aragaki Shun and Kanzaki Ryuji had both sat down, he stopped acting so arrogant and called the waiter over to bring the menu, signaling that they could order first.