Classroom of the Elite: I Can Add Points Without Limit, Chapter 260

After all, first it was Sakayanagi Arisu, Kamuro Masumi, Yamamura Miki, Kito Hayato, and Morishita Ai, and then Nishikawa Ryoko and Asuka Shiraishi Asuka. The core members of Class 1-B, who were quite strong, were almost completely emptied out.

The only truly formidable fighters in the class right now, besides Katsuragi himself, are Ryuen Kakeru, Koenji Rokusuke, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, the latter three of whom transferred from Class C and Class D.

From this perspective, Class B has been completely crippled. Forget about fighting back; even if they only think about self-preservation, they have to consider whether the rules of each Special Exam allow it.

"... According to Ms. Mashima, we need to send someone to participate in the lottery after school, right? So who should be chosen as our class's Commander Tower?"

In the otherwise somewhat subdued classroom, someone suddenly raised this crucial question.

So, naturally, everyone in Class B turned their attention and emotions toward a certain blond guy who was clearly good at socializing but had made himself universally disliked.

This time, it's another case of designating someone to bear the risk of dropping out of school. So, the most suitable candidate is, of course, Hashimoto, who was supposed to come in last place in the Class Vote but luckily escaped dropping out.

Even Hashimoto Masayoshi himself didn't think there was anything wrong with the plan. He smiled helplessly and was about to stand up to volunteer to Mashima Tomoya.

The next moment, a firm and decisive voice suddenly rang out, surprising everyone else in the classroom.

"Let me do it! I'll take Commander Tower!"

It's Katsuragi Kohei!

He placed his clenched fist on the table, exuding an undeniable aura of pressure that made one deeply aware of his inner strength.

Clearly, this man, who has always been known for his prudence, has now made up his mind—even if failure means being forced to leave Advanced Nurturing, he is no longer willing to endure inaction.

However, most members of Class B couldn't understand this at all, and some even screamed in surprise.

"What a joke! Katsuragi, are you out of your mind because of Totsuka? Hashimoto is still here. When did it become your turn to take a position like the Commander Tower?"

Hashimoto Masayoshi: "..."

The smile vanished instantly from the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy with the bizarre hairstyle.

He glanced at Morishige Takuro on the table in the distance, his eyes filled with a deep, resentful look, like those of a wronged woman.

Although I know that as a candidate for dropping out, I could be thrown out as a scapegoat at any time, could you at least be a little more tactful and save me some face?

Unfortunately, no one in the classroom thought there was anything wrong with Morishige Takuro's statement, and no one paid attention to what Hashimoto was thinking. At this moment, what these Class B students cared about most was that Katsuragi Kohei was inexplicably going to take over Commander Tower.

"There's no need for that right now. If even you, Katsuragi, get expelled, wouldn't our class suffer a huge loss and have no chance to compete with Class A?"

Machida Koji and immediately expressed his opinion, wanting to persuade the Baldy to abandon his impulsive decision.

Currently, among the core management of Class B, only Katsuragi Kohei is a founding member of the class.

As an ordinary student, he didn't want to see the core members of the class become Matoba after the other person dropped out... that would be too awkward.

This is also the opinion of most of the veterans of Class B. Compared to Ryuen Kakeru, Ayanokoji, and even Koenji Rokusuke, Katsuragi was at least a companion who had been fighting alongside them since the beginning of the school year and who never abandoned them even when Aragaki Shun invited him.

Everyone has great faith in his character and morality, and no one wants to see him take the risk of being expelled from school in place of Hashimoto Masayoshi.

Unfortunately, Katsuragi remained resolute and showed no intention of changing his mind.

"Why is that? Is it because of Totsuka's dropping out of school?"

"I don't deny that there were some contributing factors," Katsuragi Kohei said meticulously, appearing quite rational and not blinded by anger. "Yahiko was expelled because of me, and now that I have the opportunity to seek justice for him, I can't convince myself to do nothing."

"But more importantly, after just hearing the rules of the Selection Exam, you all assumed that the person in Commander Tower would inevitably be expelled... Now that things have come to this, if even I don't dare to stand up, is there any point in participating in the competition in the future?"

Upon hearing this, the students in Class B were speechless, unsure how to respond.

Koenji, who had been observing coldly, raised an eyebrow; Ayanokoji's stoic face showed a thoughtful expression; and Ryuen Kakeru, arms crossed, snorted coldly and said:

"That's true. This Special Exam has a relatively high degree of freedom, and it's a one-on-one match between two classes. There's no way to outnumber the other, and there are no events that require using Private Points. In a sense, it's the closest we've ever come to being with Class A."

"This kind of exam, which can only be judged by sheer strength, has Commander Tower Hashimoto Masayoshi charge. It's practically a death sentence before it even starts. Damn it, it's disgusting! Katsuragi, sit down, let me do it!"

Without a doubt, Ryuen Kakeru also supports giving it his all in this Selection Exam.

Putting aside the fact that there's a draw later on, Class B's opponent might not even be Class A... So what if they do face off against Class A?

This exam format, where only two classes compete, is the most advantageous situation for them compared to being ganged up on by three or even seven classes.

If you don't even dare to take a gamble, when will you ever be able to fight back!

344. Ryuen Kakeru wanted to administer laxatives; heroes of the world, you and me.

In the end, Ryuen still couldn't beat Katsuragi, and Katsuragi Kohei was chosen as the Commander Tower of Class 1-B during the Selection Exam.

Koenji Rokusuke had no objection to the result, but calmly offered a reminder:

"The Commander Tower of Class A is definitely Aragaki- boy. Even if you're destined to drop out of school in this Special Exam, will you stick to your choice?"

"If I'm lucky enough to get the right to face a specific class in the draw, I certainly wouldn't mind playing against the weakest Class D. But if I'm unlucky, there's nothing I can do but try my best to challenge myself."

With the selection of the Commander Tower finalized, Katsuragi Kohei remained calm, seemingly accepting whatever the outcome might be.

"Without interference from Class C and Class D, and without second-year seniors being driven around by Aragaki, this one-on-one competition between the two classes is already the most advantageous form of competition for our class. Nobody knows how many more 'fair' Special Exam the school will arrange in the future, so I think we absolutely cannot let this opportunity pass us by."

Yes, it's fair!

The most important part of the rules for this Class 1-B Selection Exam is here.

There's no need to worry about being ganged up on by three or even seven classes; all they need to do is defeat Class A. For Class B, this is practically the fairest rule imaginable.

Once this unfavorable factor is eliminated, what remains is simply a contest of hard power; strength is strength, and weakness is weakness, with absolutely no room for argument.

Therefore, we must seize the opportunity. Otherwise, if the special examination format changes to a free-for-all among the entire grade or even all twelve classes in the school, Class 1-B, which is fighting against many opponents, will have no chance of winning.

Koenji and Ayanokoji naturally understood this principle as well.

The problem is that even if the rules are fair, the two classes are fundamentally different in terms of resources and experience, and the risks they have to bear are completely different.

"Aragaki has accumulated countless Private Points this year. Even if he fails as Commander Tower, he can easily come up with 20 million to offset the expulsion penalty. But if Class B loses, we don't have the ability to raise the relief amount for you."

Ayanokoji suddenly spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of admonition.

Clearly, he did not approve of Katsuragi Kohei's choice and hoped that he would reconsider.

If we were to actually compete against Class A in this Special Exam, it would be better if he or Koenji Rokusuke took on the role of Commander Tower.

In direct confrontations, Katsuragi Kohei is indeed stronger than Ryuen Kakeru, after all, the latter is more adept at taking unconventional and underhanded approaches, which is why Katsuragi was able to seize the Commander Tower position.

However, the Commander Tower of Class A will inevitably be Aragaki Shun, and no one thinks that Katsuragi has much of a chance of winning if he challenges the other.

Only if they themselves or Koenji take the lead might they have a chance to win.

However, after careful consideration, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka ultimately chose not to intervene.

If nothing unexpected happens, I can continue to enjoy two more years of freedom in the Advanced Nurturing. It would be too bad if I were to be expelled because I was in a hurry to fight Aragaki Shun and had to be taken back to the White Room in a sorry state.

It's unclear what Koenji Rokusuke was thinking, but the other party was clearly not in a hurry to fall behind and had no intention of taking the risk of dropping out of school without any guarantee.

But since Katsuragi Kohei wanted to give it his all in this Selection Exam, they had no reason to refuse.

After all, they couldn't just assume, as the other side had said before, that they were inferior to Class A and would inevitably lose before the exam even started, and then send Hashimoto Masayoshi up to his death, could they?

"To be thinking about relief after a loss right now is a bit too risky."

Katsuragi sighed, but his eyes grew even more resolute, showing no sign of wavering despite Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words.

Now that things have come to this point, he has no reason to back down, either publicly or privately.

"I will do my utmost from my position at the Commander Tower. The rest is up to you. If you can select the most suitable project, we might just have a chance to win this Special Exam!"

"Slap slap~"

As the applause rang out, Koenji Rokusuke drew everyone's attention to him.

"Alright then, let's do this to live up to Katsuragi- boy's determination and win this test beautifully!"

To do something knowing it's impossible, yet still do it—this kind of courageous fighting spirit is still commendable.

This is exactly what Class B is lacking right now, so Koenji has no reason to refuse Katsuragi's proposal.

After all, he never thought he was weaker than anyone else. Even if he was at a disadvantage against Aragaki Shun at this moment, he believed that he would be the most beautiful person in the world in the end.

Now that the sponsor who promised a guaranteed return has made the decision, the other students in Class B have no reason to continue arguing.

So, with Katsuragi Kohei as the Commander Tower, the people in the classroom began to discuss the key aspects of the Selection Exam.

For example, after the ordinary students left, Ryuen Kakeru suggested in a small meeting that they engage in off-site harassment.

Since it's difficult to beat Class A based solely on raw talent, why not try to weaken the competition before the official exam?

Or, to be even bolder, if we can't solve the problem, we can eliminate the people who created it—how about simply preventing the Class A contestants from even taking the stage?

"The idea is great, and if it could be implemented, the results might be quite good, but how do we get past the Student Council?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also didn't have that many moral burdens; the key issue was that Ryuen oversimplified things.

Aragaki Shun, the Student Council President, isn't dead. Does he think he'd just let the students from Class B harass the members of Class A without retaliating?

As for the other suggestion, "secretly giving the students in Class A laxative that will only take effect after 48 hours," it was even more outrageous— Ayanokoji deeply suspected that this guy was tired of living to come up with such a terrible idea that would lead straight to prison.

"Ryuen!" Katsuragi Kohei frowned sharply and emphasized, "We are just having a normal class competition with Class A. If you want to do anything criminal, I will definitely hand you over to the school immediately."

"Tch~ In the end, Katsuragi, you still don't have the resolve to win at all costs!"

The thuggish gang leader cast a disdainful glance his way. "Really not going to give it a try? If it becomes a problem, I'll take the blame. Easy peasy, right?"

Even if it might end badly, as long as I can win a match against Aragaki Shun and vent all the anger I've been holding in since entering school, it will all be worth it!

He's the kind of man who'll stop at nothing to win.

"Give up. If you pull such a dirty trick against Aragaki and get caught, the consequences won't be as simple as just leaving Advanced Nurturing."

Ayanokoji actually felt that Ryuen had great potential and might grow to a considerable level in the future.

However, because of their humble background, they can sometimes be quite naive.

If Ichinose Namiho is the Commander Tower of Class A, then the other party's methods will most likely succeed—after all, the Archangel is the kind of kind-hearted person who won't fight back even if she gets beaten up. Even if she knows that her classmates are being harassed or drugged, she will only blame herself instead of going to the school to file a lawsuit.

It should be said that Ichinose simply couldn't defeat the opposing class in the Selection Exam, because that would result in the opposing Commander Tower being expelled.

Unfortunately, while the Archangel does have influence over Class A, it is only reflected in the internal atmosphere. When it comes to external attacks, he actually has very little say.

Since the start of the semester, how many students have been expelled from the three lower-ranked classes B, C, and D?

Under Aragaki Shun's leadership, Class A showed absolutely no mercy to anyone who stood in their way.

In this light, if time could be turned back to the beginning of the school year, other classes would have needed to sow discord between Aragaki Shun and Ichinose as soon as possible to defeat Class A, causing them to break up due to their differing ideals, just like Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu... Unfortunately, it's too late now.

Koenji Rokusuke was unaware of what Ayanokoji was thinking, but he also immediately rejected Ryuen Kakeru's dangerous suggestion.

If they can suggest laxatives today, will they switch to poison tomorrow?

We're all members of high society, and we'll be seeing each other all the time, so we should at least show each other some respect.

It's just a high school exam game; if it really escalates to this point, then it's purely a fight to the death.

Ryuen Kakeru, having nothing to lose, is not afraid of those who have shoes on. He may only care about momentary pleasure, but as the heir to a conglomerate, he's not someone who's bored and has nothing better to do than offend the other party to the death.

"Ryuen-boy, if you continue to act so recklessly, even someone as beautiful as me will eventually have to step in and clean up the mess."

After giving the delinquent leader a stern warning, Koenji Rokusuke tapped the table with his index finger for a moment, then finally gave his idea.

"Class A is strong overall, but Aragaki- boy is too busy to personally lead the Commander Tower. The other students are no match for me and Ayanokoji- boy. Our project should be built around this advantage."

That's right!

In Koenji Rokusuke's heart, the heroes of the world are Aragaki Shun, Ayanokoji, and himself.

If these three are considered to be Advanced Nurturing and top-tier, then Ichinose Honami, Kanzaki Ryuji, Shiina Hiyori are considered first-rate characters or even lower.

For example, Sakayanagi Arisu such serious obvious weaknesses that if you fight her, you can basically win by just trying to outlast her and exhaust her stamina.

Therefore, while Aragaki Shun's rise to Commander Tower allowed him to better coordinate the class and oversee the overall situation, it also deprived Class A of a top-tier player who could counterbalance him and Ayanokoji.

If the right strategies are developed around this advantage, Class B should be able to win at least two out of the seven matches.

Then, following the strategy of Tian Ji's horse racing, if we can find a way to win two more games, then the myth of Class A's invincibility might not be impossible to break.

Yes, that's reality.

We will definitely win!

As the bell rang for the end of the last class, the day's learning came to a close.

Chie Hoshinomiya beckoned to Aragaki Shun to leave the classroom together.

According to the rules of this Selection Exam, the two need to go to the special teaching building and, together with the Commander Tower of the other three classes, draw lots to determine their opposing class.

In addition, it seems that a special system will be used for the official exam on March 22nd, and the teachers will also be there to explain the relevant matters.

Listening attentively to Hoshinomiya-sensei's explanations along the way, the two quickly arrived at their destination—a multi-purpose classroom located in the special teaching building, which would also be the main examination room used on the day of the official exam.