Classroom of the Elite: I Can Add Points Infinitely

Let's have Hoshinomiya-sensei bring out everyone's entrance exam scores and rank us based on them.

52. Kanzaki Regretted Choosing His Friends Poorly

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

Then he had Kanzaki lead the remaining students through physical fitness tests, with separate standards for boys and girls, and selected the ten students with the lowest fitness rankings.

"Since we have basic exams like midterms and finals, where failing means expulsion, we need to secure our academic performance first and then address any weaknesses in physical fitness. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

Aragaki Shun looked around the class. After confirming that no one had any questions, he continued explaining how the tutoring program would work.

"The twenty students at the bottom of the rankings need to improve their academic and physical fundamentals first. The other twenty can choose what they want to study based on their interests and career plans."

He added, "If there's nothing in the tutoring program or interest classes that appeals to you, you can apply to Kanzaki for these ten thousand Private Points and plan your own development instead."

"But remember, we'll test everyone's basic academic ability and physical fitness at the start of every month. The twenty mandatory tutoring spots at the bottom are not fixed. If you don't improve this month and someone else overtakes you, you'll have to go to tutoring and work on your fundamentals."

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

After all, the class did have students like him and Ichinose Honami, who didn't need any extra study time and had already ranked first and second in the year on the entrance exams.

Making the students at the bottom of the class attend mandatory tutoring was meant to improve their academic and physical fundamentals, so they wouldn't be expelled from a Special Exam because they were lacking in one area.

As for those at the top, they had already mastered the basics. Spending more time on them wouldn't be worthwhile, so they needed to develop their individual interests and specialized skills instead.

In that case, they could be assigned to interest classes, or supported in joining clubs to learn alongside more experienced seniors who shared their interests.

But everyone had a different path ahead of them, and it would be difficult to make a unified plan for the whole class. It was more convenient to distribute the funds directly and let each student make a development plan with advice from the class leaders.

In any case, everyone would receive ten thousand Private Points a month from the class budget for their development. If you thought you could stay in the top twenty in both academics and physical fitness forever, you could just spend those ten thousand points as a reward.

People feared unfairness more than scarcity. So even though only a few students in the class were at risk academically, Aragaki Shun still distributed development funds to all forty students.

But on top of that fairness, giving those at the top more freedom could, to some extent, motivate those at the bottom as well.

After all, rankings changed. The students at the top couldn't guarantee they'd always place in the top twenty just by scoring seventy or eighty points every time.

Ideally, both groups would keep pushing themselves for all three years, until even the students at the bottom scored above ninety every time. Then everyone would only need to worry about who made fewer mistakes.

With the arrangements settled, Aragaki Shun casually told Kanzaki Ryuji and Ichinose Honami to take everyone to the fitness tests. Then he turned to slip off to the library for his daily knowledge catch-up.

Unfortunately, he didn't get away. Kanzaki, wearing a dark expression, grabbed him by the sleeve, and Aragaki gave him a puzzled look.

"What's wrong? Is there something I haven't explained clearly?"

"No! You explained everything perfectly!"

Kanzaki Ryuji scowled and held tight to his sleeve.

"Classroom lessons are for all students. Since everyone has different levels and abilities, there are bound to be gaps. Tutoring can provide targeted instruction based on each student's progress, so it's more tailored than regular lessons."

"So I fully support the decisions you've made!"

"Uh, then why—"

"What I don't understand is why you can dump so much work on me without a second thought. Do you think I'm a donkey?"

Looking at Kanzaki's somewhat irritated expression, Aragaki Shun gave an awkward laugh and pointed to Shibata Sou, who had already started leading the boys toward the athletic field.

"Many hands make light work. You can ask Shibata to help with the fitness tests. I'll leave those practical details to you."

Seeing that Kanzaki Ryuji still wanted to say something, Aragaki Shun cut him off. "As class leader, my abilities are what matter most. So I'm going to work on improving myself now."

Kanzaki was left speechless.

Then, while Kanzaki was distracted, Aragaki Shun deftly slipped free of his grasp and vanished in an instant.

Kanzaki Ryuji opened the class account on his phone with a dark expression. As the treasurer, he now had to conduct fitness tests for every student, consult Hoshinomiya-sensei about the tutoring program, and provide individual development advice to the twenty students ranked at the top...

The class leader had dumped all that work on him and walked away. What a heartless bastard!

I really chose my friends poorly...!!!

Aragaki Shun had already reached the library, so naturally, he had no idea what Kanzaki was saying about him in his head.

He could guess, but he wouldn't bother.

In Aragaki Shun's eyes, Kanzaki might seem cool and reserved on the outside, but deep down, he cared a great deal about his classmates.

As long as he knew the work he was doing would benefit the class, he would see it through willingly, no matter how much he complained. He might even feel more fulfilled for it.

He was still pretty normal. If it were Ichinose Honami, Aragaki Shun was certain she'd only think she wasn't doing enough. She wouldn't hold back on the complaints, either.

Even if she collapsed from overworking herself on class business, she'd only blame herself for not being capable enough. She wouldn't care about her own health at all.

What was the deal with that woman? Her self-sacrificing spirit was way over the top.

As Aragaki Shun thought about the class, he turned the pages of the book in his hands.

Ever since Erudition reached level four, multitasking had become something like an instinct for him. No matter how much he had on his mind, it didn't stop him from absorbing the knowledge in his books.

At times like this, he could even devote some of his attention to his invisible Personal Panel—

[Achievement completed: Established relatively formal rules for Class B, Source Power +2.]

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

[Source Power: 10→13 (current rate: 3→4 points per month)]

Just as he was considering where to spend his newly gained Source Power, a shadow fell across the seat opposite him. He instinctively glanced up.

What he saw was a silver-haired girl with a quiet, bookish air.

53. Shiina Hiyori, a Constant Presence in the Library

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

She had silver hair and pale purple eyes, giving her an especially cool and serene appearance.

The girl rested both hands on the table, with several books that looked like detective novels in front of her.

—She was still as obsessed with detective novels as ever.

Aragaki Shun was familiar with the girl across from him, Shiina Hiyori.

Every afternoon, when he came to the library to study whatever knowledge he needed, he would see her sitting in some corner, as reliably as clockwork.

Aragaki Shun himself sometimes arrived late because he was busy with Class B affairs. But this girl, who seemed like a literary sprite, was like an NPC who respawned in the same spot every day. He had never once seen her miss a day.

He hadn't seen her earlier, so she had probably gone to the shelves to look for the latest detective novel she wanted to read.

Aragaki Shun turned a page, his gaze settling calmly on her. He was just about to greet his familiar fellow reader when Shiina Hiyori looked up at the same time, and their eyes met.

"Aragaki, you've arrived even later than usual today."

Her red uniform jacket went with a white pleated skirt, and she wore light gray knee-high socks.

With the girl's striking beauty and the strong scent of books that seemed to surround her, everything around them looked more pleasant.

"I had some Class B arrangements to take care of. As class leader, I always have to do a little more."

Aragaki Shun was actually someone who enjoyed peace and quiet.

If it weren't for earning Source Power, he'd also prefer a life like Shiina Hiyori's: spending every day in the library reading, or staying in his dorm room and playing on his phone.

But since he had the Personal Panel as a progress bar, letting him see every bit of growth as it happened, he could accept putting in a little extra effort.

"Class affairs..." Shiina Hiyori fell into thought for some reason. "I always thought you were like me, and didn't have many friends. But I was wrong. You can actually be class leader. Are you one of those popular, outgoing types?"

Shiina Hiyori looked a little envious.

Although she was in Class C, she barely knew any of her classmates, boys or girls. Even after a week and a half at school, she still didn't have the contact information of any other Class C student.

People might think she was a loner who didn't like being around others because she was so quiet and always came to the library alone.

But in truth, she hoped to have a few good friends she could talk to about anything.

She just wasn't good at talking to people. Having spent her childhood immersed in books, she wasn't interested in the topics other kids her age talked about. In the end, she could only come to the library alone, keeping her beloved detective novels company.

When she saw Aragaki Shun sitting quietly in a corner of the library by himself for several days, enjoying all kinds of books, she'd had to work up a lot of courage to sit across from him and strike up a casual conversation.

Fortunately, although Aragaki-kun looked unapproachable, he was actually quite gentle and polite. At least he wasn't so overbearing that he tried to claim a seat in a public place.

That was how they'd gotten to know each other, through daily greetings and the occasional conversation. They weren't especially close, but she supposed they could call each other friends who shared a love of books.

Shiina Hiyori felt a little uneasy about it. Since she'd hardly had any friends growing up, figuring out the boundary between a friend and a stranger was surprisingly difficult.

"Popular and outgoing?" Aragaki Shun was a little surprised anyone would call him that. "I don't think I'm the type who's good at making friends and easily fits into a group. It's just that my Class B classmates trust me and are willing to follow my lead."

Shiina Hiyori thought about Aragaki Shun's reputation around school and realized that popular and outgoing didn't really describe him.

After all, a normal popular kid made friends through charm. Who else would use their strength to dominate every competitive club in the school and make a name for themselves?

If you weren't good at making friends, you could just get other people to approach you?

That seemed like a way of fitting in, too.

Shiina Hiyori didn't know how to respond, so she simply changed the subject. Looking expectantly at the books by her hand, she asked, "How did you like those detective novels I recommended before, Aragaki? Would you like me to recommend a few more?"

Compared to Shiina Hiyori's passion for detective novels, Aragaki Shun's reading tastes were extremely broad. He was happy to read anything, whether it was serious books on medicine, philosophy, or biology, or popular detective novels and light novels, or even works on all kinds of subjects, from astronomy to geography.

Shiina couldn't figure out what dictated his reading choices each day. Fortunately, since he was willing to read anything, whenever she recommended a detective novel she liked, he never looked impatient.

If he already had books he planned to read, he'd just politely thank her and say he'd give her recommendation a try when he had some free time.

Then, once he'd finished reading, they'd have the book discussion Shiina looked forward to most.

"Lately, I've been interested in photosynthesis, so I've been studying that. I haven't had time to enjoy any detective novels yet. Maybe you could recommend some classics after I've finished the books I have here."

Aragaki Shun gestured toward Shiina with the books about plants in his hands, making her marvel at how widely he read.

She was a little disappointed that she couldn't discuss her favorite detective novels with him just yet. Still, quietly reading together in a corner of the library was a pleasant experience in its own right.

So, after making that arrangement with Aragaki Shun, the two of them each lost themselves in the sea of knowledge.

In the quiet, comfortable atmosphere, time passed slowly. Aragaki Shun turned page after page of the books he'd set beside him. It was only when he reached for another one and found nothing there that he realized he'd finished his reading for the day.

Aragaki Shun stretched absentmindedly, then glanced at Shiina Hiyori across from him.

She turned the pages slowly and gently. Every now and then, she frowned in thought or nodded slightly, as if having a silent conversation with the world inside her book.

Aragaki Shun couldn't help thinking that the girl really was obsessed with detective novels.

Just as he was absorbed in his thoughts, Shiina Hiyori suddenly looked up and stared right at him, a hint of curiosity in her gaze. "Aragaki, did you turn the pages even faster today?"

54. Shiina Was Being Watched by an Unfamiliar Classmate

Shiina Hiyori was curious.

She'd noticed before that Aragaki Shun read at an unusually fast pace, perfectly embodying the phrase "read ten lines at a glance."

She'd wondered if he could really retain anything by reading like that.

But after talking with him, Shiina had to admit that geniuses really did exist.

Some people could study the material before class, listen carefully during the lesson, and review it repeatedly afterward, yet still struggle to absorb it. Others could glance over it once and burn it into their minds, mastering it with ease.

Over the past few days, she'd gradually gotten used to the boy's way of reading. She'd come to think it was normal for him to spend two or three hours memorizing the contents of four or five books on the table.

But even that seemed not to be his limit?

Shiina Hiyori checked the time. There were no fewer books on the table than usual, but Aragaki Shun had finished them more than twenty minutes faster than before.

Had he gotten even faster at reading? Or had he already known the material in those books? Or had he simply been in better form today?

Shiina Hiyori's eyes sparkled. She really envied his ability to absorb knowledge from books so quickly.

Aragaki Shun: "..."

Under the gaze of those mysterious purple eyes, Aragaki Shun felt a strange pull, like he was caught in a deep-sea whirlpool with no way out.

His lips twitched. So that his eyes wouldn't give away any improper thoughts, he simply lowered his head and picked up the books beside him. As he turned to put them back where they belonged, he casually offered an explanation. "Aren't we at an age when we grow quickly? I just happen to be growing a little faster than normal."

"That's all for today. See you tomorrow, Shiina."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Aragaki."

Shiina Hiyori watched Aragaki Shun leave with some regret. She hadn't finished her reading for the day, so she had no reason to stop now.

The girl returned to her seat and gently turned the pages of the book she was halfway through, trying to immerse herself in its world again.

But after only four or five minutes, Shiina turned the pages more and more slowly, her brow furrowing slightly. For some reason, she was clearly having trouble concentrating.

The girl sighed softly and glanced to the side. The library was sparsely populated, with only row upon row of tall bookshelves standing around her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

But with her keen powers of observation, she'd clearly sensed several glances sweeping over her every now and then.