Classroom of the Elite, I Can Add Points Infinitely Chapter 25

Let's have Hoshinomiya-sensei bring out everyone's entrance exam scores so we can rank them.

52. Kanzaki, who feels he has made a poor choice of friends

Based on the entrance exam scores, Aragaki Shun selected the ten students in the class with the lowest academic rankings.

He then had Kanzaki lead the remaining students in physical fitness tests, separated by gender, and selected the ten students with the lowest physical rankings from those results.

"Since there are fundamental exams like midterms and finals where failing means expulsion, we must first secure our academic standing and then address physical deficiencies. There's no issue with that, right?"

Aragaki Shun scanned the class, and after confirming no one had any questions, he continued to arrange the details for the tutoring sessions.

"As for these bottom twenty students, you are all to prioritize improving your academic and physical foundations. As for the other twenty students, you may choose your own tutoring programs based on your personal interests and career plans."

He added, "If you feel that neither the tutoring classes nor the interest groups have what you want, you can apply to Kanzaki for these 10,000 private points and arrange your own growth plan."

"However, remember this: the class will hold basic academic and physical tests at the beginning of every month. The twenty spots for mandatory tutoring are fluid. If you don't show growth this month and end up being surpassed by someone else, you'll have to go to the tutoring sessions to improve your fundamentals."

In the end, Aragaki Shun divided the students into two groups.

This was because there were indeed people in the class like him and Ichinose Honami who, without needing any extra tutoring time, already occupied the top two spots in the entire grade's entrance exams.

Mandating tutoring for those at the bottom of the class was meant to improve their basic academics and physical fitness, preventing them from being expelled due to deficiencies in any area during special exams.

As for those at the top, they had already firmly grasped the basic knowledge, so continuing to waste time on it wasn't cost-effective. Therefore, what they needed was further development in their respective interests and specialized skills.

In this situation, it was fine to arrange interest classes for them, or to support them in researching alongside more professional seniors in clubs who shared their hobbies.

But since everyone's future path was different, it was difficult for the class to make unified arrangements, so it was more convenient to distribute the funds directly and let them make their own growth plans based on the advice of the class management.

Regardless, everyone received 10,000 points per month from the class fund for tutoring. If you felt you could always stay in the top twenty for academics and physical fitness, you could simply spend those 10,000 private points as a reward.

"Worry not about scarcity, but about inequality." Even though there weren't many students in the class in danger, Aragaki Shun still distributed tutoring funds to all forty of them.

However, on this foundation of fairness, giving those at the top more freedom could, to a certain extent, increase the motivation of those at the bottom.

After all, rankings are fluid; it's not as if those at the top can guarantee a spot in the top twenty every time just by scoring seventy or eighty points.

It would be best if these two groups could keep competing against each other for three years, until even the students at the bottom of the class could score over ninety points every time. By then, everyone would only need to worry about making fewer mistakes than the others.

Once this arrangement was made, Aragaki Shun nonchalantly let Kanzaki Ryuji and Ichinose Honami take everyone for their physical tests, while he turned around, ready to slip away to the library for his daily fixed dose of knowledge supplementation.

Unfortunately, he didn't get away, as Kanzaki, with a dark expression, grabbed his sleeve, causing him to cast a puzzled look his way.

"What's wrong? Is there something I didn't explain clearly?"

"No! You explained it very clearly!"

Kanzaki Ryuji, his face dark, gripped his sleeve tightly and wouldn't let go.

"The teacher's lectures in class are aimed at all students, and because each student's progress and talent differ, gaps are inevitable. Tutoring sessions, however, can provide specialized guidance based on each student's progress, which is indeed more targeted than classroom instruction."

"Therefore, I fully approve of the decisions you've made!"

"Uh, then why?"

"What I don't understand is why you can so shamelessly dump so many things onto me alone. Do you take me for a donkey?"

Looking at Kanzaki's slightly irritated expression, Aragaki Shun gave a dry laugh and pointed toward Shibata Sou, who had already begun leading the boys' group toward the gym.

"The capable should do more, right? You can ask Shibata to help with the physical side of things; I won't worry about those specific tasks."

Seeing that Kanzaki Ryuji still wanted to say something, Aragaki Shun said directly, "As the class leader, my strength is the most important thing, so I need to go improve myself now."

These words left Kanzaki speechless.

Then, taking advantage of Kanzaki's momentary distraction, Aragaki Shun used a clever maneuver to break free from his grip and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Kanzaki Ryuji opened the class account on his phone with a dark face. As the class fund manager, not only did he have to conduct physical tests for all the students, but he also had to find Hoshinomiya-sensei to arrange the tutoring sessions, while simultaneously providing growth advice to the top twenty students one by one...

For the class leader to dump so much work and just walk away—he was truly a heartless person!

What a poor choice of friends this turned out to be!!!

Having already reached the library, Aragaki Shun naturally didn't know how Kanzaki was slandering him in his heart.

Although he could guess, he wouldn't bother to.

In Aragaki Shun's eyes, although Kanzaki appeared calm and indifferent on the surface, he actually valued his classmates quite highly.

Therefore, as long as he confirmed that what he was doing was helpful to the class, even if he complained a lot, he would definitely be willing to take responsibility for these tasks until the end. He might even feel more fulfilled deep down.

He was still relatively normal. If it were Ichinose Honami, Aragaki Shun was certain that this woman would only blame herself for doing too little, and wouldn't even voice those complaints.

She might even collapse from exhaustion due to class affairs, yet she would only apologize for her own incompetence, never caring about her own physical health.

So, what exactly is up with this woman? Isn't this spirit of self-sacrifice a bit too ridiculous?

Aragaki Shun pondered the situation within the class while flipping through the book in his hands.

Ever since his Erudition reached level 4, multitasking had become an instinctual talent for him. Even with many thoughts in his mind, it didn't affect his ability to memorize the knowledge in the books.

At this moment, he could even devote a portion of his focus to his invisible personal panel—

[Achievement Completed: Formulated formal rules and regulations for Class B, Source Power +2.]

[Achievement Completed: Arranged a three-year tutoring plan for the members of Class B, Source Power +1.]

Source Power: 10→13 (Current efficiency: 3→4 points per month)

Just as he was pondering where he should allocate his extra Source Power, a shadow appeared in the seat opposite him, causing him to instinctively cast a glance over.

What came into view was a silver-haired figure that gave off a quiet, scholarly vibe.

53. Shiina Hiyori, who never misses a day in the library

Aragaki Shun looked up at the quiet figure across from him.

It was a head of silver hair paired with pale purple eyes, appearing exceptionally cool and tranquil.

The girl had her hands resting on the table, with several books that appeared to be mystery novels laid out in front of her.

She really is as obsessed with mystery novels as ever.

Aragaki Shun was no stranger to the girl named Shiina Hiyori sitting before him.

Every afternoon when he came to the library to supplement his knowledge, he could see her sitting in a fixed corner of the library, as steady as a rock.

Aragaki Shun himself would occasionally be delayed in coming to the library due to being busy with Class B affairs, but this girl, who resembled a literary sprite, seemed like a fixed NPC that refreshed in this spot; he had never seen her miss a day.

He hadn't seen her earlier, so she had probably gone to the bookshelves to find the mystery novels she wanted to read recently.

Aragaki Shun gently flipped through the book in his hands, his gaze resting peacefully on her. Just as he was about to greet this book-loving friend he saw so often, he saw Shiina Hiyori look up at the same time, their gazes meeting unexpectedly.

"Aragaki, you've arrived much later than usual to read today."

She wore a red school blazer paired with a white pleated skirt and light gray knee-high socks.

Under the influence of the girl's stunning appearance and the rich, scholarly aura she carried, everything around her seemed to become pleasing to the eye.

"It's still due to some arrangements for Class B. As the class representative, there's always a bit more work to do."

Aragaki Shun was actually quite a person who enjoyed quiet.

If it weren't for the need to earn Source Power, he would have preferred a life like Shiina Hiyori's—soaking in the library to read every day or playing on his phone alone in his dorm.

However, since he had his personal panel as a progress bar, allowing him to keep track of every bit of his growth, he could accept a little bit of running around.

"Class affairs, huh..." Shiina Hiyori fell into thought for some reason. "I actually thought Aragaki was like me and couldn't make many friends on a daily basis, but I was wrong. It turns out Aragaki is a 'sunny character' who can directly serve as a class representative?"

Shiina Hiyori looked a bit envious.

Although she was from Class C, she basically didn't know anyone in her class, whether boys or girls. It had already been a week and a half since school started, and she still didn't have the contact information of any other Class C students on her phone.

Don't let her quiet demeanor and habit of coming to the library alone fool you into thinking she was the type of person who was antisocial or disliked interacting with others.

In reality, she still hoped to have a few good friends she could talk to about anything.

It was just that she really wasn't good at communicating with others. Having been immersed in the world of books since she was a child, she wasn't interested in the topics common among her peers, so in the end, she could only come to the library alone to keep company with her beloved mystery novels.

When she saw Aragaki Shun sitting in the corner of the library for several days, quietly savoring various books, she had gathered a great deal of courage to take the initiative to sit opposite him and greet him as if it were a casual occurrence.

Fortunately, although Aragaki looked unapproachable on the outside, he was actually a very gentle and polite person. At the very least, he wasn't so overbearing that he would even police the seats in a public space.

The two of them got to know each other through daily greetings and occasional conversations. It couldn't be called a deep friendship, but they could barely be considered book-loving friends, right?

Shiina Hiyori felt a bit uneasy about this. For someone like her who had almost no friends since childhood, trying to define the boundary between a friend and a stranger was truly a very difficult task.

"A 'sunny character'?" Aragaki Shun was a bit surprised that someone would call him that. "I don't think I belong to that type of person who is good at making friends and can easily integrate into a group. It's just that my classmates in Class B trust me and are willing to follow my lead."

Shiina Hiyori thought about Aragaki Shun's reputation in the school and felt it really didn't seem appropriate to call him a "sunny character."

After all, normal "sunny characters" make friends through charisma. Who else directly suppresses all the competitive clubs in a school with pure strength just to make a name for themselves!

If you aren't good at making friends, you just let others take the initiative to cling to you?

It seems that is also a way to integrate into a group.

Shiina Hiyori didn't know what kind of expression to make, so she simply skipped the topic and pointed to the books beside her with some anticipation. "How were those mystery novels I recommended to you before? Do you need me to recommend a few more?"

Compared to Shiina Hiyori's singular devotion to mystery novels, Aragaki Shun's reading preferences could be described as quite eclectic. Whether it was serious books on medicine, philosophy, biology, or popular mystery novels, light novels, or even various knowledge involving astronomy and geography, he didn't turn anything away; he read whatever he wanted.

Shiina couldn't analyze what the pattern of his daily reading was, but fortunately, it was precisely because of this openness that whenever she recommended her favorite mystery novels to the boy, he never showed an impatient expression on his face.

If he still had books on his reading list, he would only politely say thank you and then try them out when he had free time.

And once he finished reading them, it was the book-friend exchange session that Shiina looked forward to the most.

"I've been interested in plant photosynthesis recently, so I've been studying knowledge in that area. I haven't been able to squeeze out any free time to enjoy mystery novels yet. I'll trouble you to recommend a few mystery classics to me next time, after I finish the books I have on hand."

Aragaki Shun held up the botany book in his hand to signal to Shiina, which made the girl sigh at the breadth of his interests.

However, although it was a pity that they couldn't discuss the mystery novels she liked for the time being, just sitting quietly in the corner of the library flipping through books together was also a nice experience.

Therefore, after the girl and Aragaki Shun made their agreement, the two of them each immersed themselves in the ocean of knowledge.

In this quiet and comfortable atmosphere, time slowly slipped away. Aragaki Shun flipped through the books he had prepared one page after another, until he reached for the table again and touched nothing, only then realizing that his reading plan for the day was complete.

Aragaki Shun stretched instinctively and took a glance at Shiina Hiyori opposite him.

He saw that her movements in turning pages were light and slow, occasionally frowning in thought, occasionally nodding slightly, as if she were having a silent conversation with the world inside the book.

Aragaki Shun couldn't help but think to himself that this girl was truly obsessed with mystery novels.

Just as he was lost in his own thoughts, Shiina Hiyori suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed directly on him with a hint of inquiry: "Aragaki, has your page-turning speed become much faster again today?"

54. Shiina, targeted by a strange female student

Shiina Hiyori was curious.

She had noticed before that Aragaki Shun read at an extraordinary speed, perfectly embodying the true meaning of the idiom "reading ten lines at a glance."

She had previously doubted whether the boy could actually store knowledge in his mind by reading with such an attitude.

However, after interacting with him, Shiina had to admit that geniuses truly existed in this world.

Knowledge that others struggled to digest even after previewing multiple times before class, listening attentively during the lecture, and reviewing repeatedly after class could be firmly etched into his mind and mastered with ease after just a single glance.

Over the past few days, she had gradually grown accustomed to the boy's reading style, coming to view it as normal for him to memorize the contents of four or five books on the table in two or three hours.

But even if it was exaggerated to this extent, was it still not his limit?

Shiina Hiyori checked the time; the number of books on his desk was no less than usual, yet Aragaki Shun had finished them twenty minutes faster than before.

Was it that his reading speed had increased again, was the knowledge something Aragaki Shun had already understood, or was he simply in good form today?

Shiina Hiyori's eyes sparkled; she truly envied this ability to quickly master the knowledge within books.

Aragaki Shun: "..."

Being stared at by that pair of mysterious purple eyes, Aragaki Shun inexplicably felt a sense of attraction, as inescapable as a whirlpool in the deep sea.

The boy's lips twitched. To prevent any improper thoughts from showing in his eyes, he simply lowered his head, picked up the books placed to the side, and while turning to return them to their original places, he casually explained, "Isn't our age just the right stage for rapid growth? It's just that my growth rate is a bit faster than the average person's."

"Let's call it a day here. See you tomorrow, Shiina."

"Alright then, see you tomorrow, Aragaki."

Shiina Hiyori watched Aragaki Shun leave with a hint of regret; she hadn't finished her reading plan for the day, and she had no reason to stop now.

The girl sat back down in her seat and gently flipped through the pages of the book she was halfway through, trying to immerse herself back into the world of the text.

But only four or five minutes later, the speed at which Shiina flipped the pages grew slower and slower, and her brows furrowed slightly; clearly, her attention was scattered for some reason.

The girl sighed softly and turned her head slightly to the side. She saw that the library was sparsely populated, with only tall bookshelves standing like sentinels, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

But with the girl's keen insight, she had clearly felt earlier that several gazes had swept over her inadvertently.