In Classroom of the Elite, but in the Underworld Chapter 28

"I've felt for a long time that the two of them were close, could it be true?"

After waiting a moment, Eito explained:

"Don't misunderstand, the 'like' I'm talking about is just a normal kind of like. I don't think you guys in the class would have the heart to let Kikyo use a restroom like that, right? Unless you have some other motives, hmm?"

"No, no, not at all."

"How could that be? If it's for Kushida, then there's no helping it."

Sudo and Yamauchi went without saying, and now even Ike had agreed.

It seemed he wanted to use this method to gain Kikyo's favor.

With the misunderstanding regarding Kikyo cleared up, the girls were slightly disappointed, but the result was positive; they would finally have a clean restroom.

Yet, as the biggest winner of this situation, Eito sighed.

He had a premonition that things were likely to become more troublesome from here on out, and he wouldn't be able to keep a low profile even if he wanted to.

Chapter 36: You Dare!

In addition to the rules above, each class must decide on its leader.

The key card held by the leader can be used to occupy various bases on the island. Occupying a base once grants 1 point, and each base has a cooldown of 8 hours; multiple bases can be occupied simultaneously.

However, occupying a base requires the leader's presence, and after the exam ends, there is a segment where classes guess the leaders of the other classes. A class that is correctly guessed loses 50 points, while the class that guesses correctly gains 50 points.

Furthermore, occupying a base already held by someone else will result in a deduction of 50 points.

Regarding the selection of the leader, Hirata, who had been granted the decision-making power, sought him out.

"Could you come with me for a moment?"

The two arrived at a spot slightly removed from the rest of the class.

Then, Hirata looked at him with a focused expression:

"Can I ask a favor of you?"

"No." As an advocate of escapism, Eito refused without a second thought. "However, I can listen to what your trouble is first."

"I want to ask you to be the leader for this exam."

To avoid being guessed by other classes, the fewer people who knew this, the better. And compared to the girls Hirata was close with, he had actually sought him out.

Was it because he was a boy?

"Why me?"

"Because the only boy I can ask... is you."

What an honest and pitiful reason.

The Three Idiots were immediately excluded, so the only person Hirata had any real connection with was him.

"However, I refuse!"

"...I suppose it's a no, then."

Hirata kept his head down, and the melancholy in his eyes could be felt even from half a meter away.

"If you want my help, there are conditions. What do you think you can offer me?" Eito said.

As if seeing a glimmer of hope, Hirata looked up again:

"...How about this? After the exam ends, I'll transfer all my remaining private points to you. There are over 40,000 in total."

"Oh?" Eito laughed. "To give me all your points for the sake of an exam, do you think it's worth it? And do you really think I can protect the key card? Do I have that kind of ability?"

"I believe in you." The corners of Hirata's eyes bloomed into a smile, as warm as sunshine. "Whether it's Sudo and the others, or Ayanokoji, or even Horikita, who never interacts with the class, they can all become friends with you and trust you. I think you must be an outstanding person who can do things I cannot. Besides, the matter from earlier should have been solved by me, but I—"

Hirata couldn't do such things because he always maintained a neutral role; he couldn't favor anyone.

"I see. You have a good eye."

Eito patted him on the shoulder.

Then he said: "However, I don't need your points. I only have one request."

"What is it?"

"Hirata, become my friend."

"..."

That is what is meant by being friends.

Returning to the class.

This time, they were heading toward the camping spot on the mountain. The boys walked in front, the girls followed slightly behind, and at the very back, Suzune walked alone.

However, she didn't seem to feel the loneliness. Even though no one spoke to her, her gaze didn't waver in the slightest.

And further away, there was another lonely figure.

Eito walked over to greet that person:

"Sakura, you're walking too slowly."

"Oh... I was just..."

Sakura kept her head down, lost in her own thoughts.

The aura of loneliness around her grew heavier, like a cruise ship about to be submerged.

She didn't mind the school itself, and she didn't need to interact with others after class, but these kinds of group activities were a form of torture for someone like Sakura who had no friends.

"Stay with me for the activities later."

"Mm."

Sakura nodded, finally willing to look up at him.

"Then, let's go say hello to that ice queen up ahead first."

"Eh?"

Amidst Sakura's startled cry, Eito grabbed her wrist and quickened his pace to catch up to that tall, beautiful figure.

"Horikita, aren't you going to go make some friends?"

"Why would I do that?"

Suzune turned to look at him, glancing at Sakura in the process, which scared the latter into hiding behind his back.

"If you keep going like this, no one is going to listen to you. How do you expect to lead Class D to Class A?"

"Even without getting on good terms with them, I have my own methods. Besides," Suzune's gaze suddenly turned icy as she looked at him, "I already asked for your help, didn't I? And wasn't I rejected by you?"

"I apologize for that matter. How about you ask again? Be a bit more sincere this time, and maybe I'll agree."

"What would you consider sincere?" Suzune frowned slightly.

"For example... let me touch your leg?"

"I'll give you one more chance to rephrase that. What did you just say?"

"Uh."

I'll just say it.

"Touch your leg."

"..."

Suzune stared at him coldly for three seconds, then mocked:

"Go ahead and touch it then. But our classmates are all right in front of us. If I happen to make any strange sounds, and you get caught, you can just wait to be despised by the entire class."

Eito glanced ahead.

Although they were all chatting amongst themselves, they weren't that far away. If Suzune really cried out, it would definitely draw everyone's attention.

However.

He actually felt excited.

He loved this feeling of dancing on the edge of disaster.

"What, are you scared?" Suzune sneered. "If you're—wait... mm... wait, hold on."

While Suzune was speaking, he had already pressed in from behind at an angle, lifted the hem of her skirt with one hand, and stroked the inside of her thigh.

"Stop it!"

Suzune glared at him, one hand trying to push his body away while the other covered her mouth to keep from making a sound.

Suzune, you wouldn't want the whole class to find out I'm a pervert, would you?

If he threatened her like that, Suzune would probably stop caring about him entirely.

After wandering his hand over the girl's pale, pinkish thigh for a moment, he let go.

"Get lost!"

The tips of Suzune's ears were completely red, and she looked at him with an expression of shame and anger.

"You're the one who told me to touch it; I was just fulfilling your wish," he said, feigning composure. "Don't agree to conditions like that so easily next time. As a friend, I was just giving you a practical demonstration."

"Then I'll thank you for that, having a friend like you who enjoys touching my thigh." Suzune took a deep breath, her expression gradually returning to calm. "The leg touching is done. What's your answer?"

Eito lowered his head in thought for a few seconds, then replied with a solemn expression:

"I refuse."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm already used to it." Suzune said coldly. "Your goal wasn't to help me from the start; you just wanted to toy with my body."

"Did you feel anything?"

"No!"

"Uh, that's not entirely the goal. It's mostly because I saw you were in a bad mood and wanted to chat with you to help you de-stress."

"Your methods are truly unique; it's certainly your style, hmph."

Suzune shot him a glance and walked away.

Eito sighed.

"Um..."

Eito looked back, his heart sinking.

He had actually forgotten about Sakura.

Chapter 37 Mami

What should he do if he was caught red-handed?

If it were a stranger, Eito would have told them to get lost.

However, the person standing there now was Sakura.

"...I didn't see anything just now... I didn't see anything... didn't see a thing."

Sakura closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly as hot breaths puffed from her nostrils.

She peeked open one eye, saw that Eito was still looking at her, and quickly squeezed it shut again.

"This—"

Since I've been seen, I won't pretend anymore. Sakura, obediently become my—

That's not how this is supposed to go.

"Sakura, actually, that was just a friendly way of communicating between friends."