In Classroom of the Elite, but in the Underworld

Matsushita had guessed wrong this time, because he liked all of them.

However, it was impossible for him to say that out loud.

He would be looked down upon.

Afterward, Matsushita proposed a suggestion to him:

"How about we form an alliance?"

"What do you mean by an alliance?"

"I'll provide you with information on the girls, and you help me keep the boys in check. We exchange information, how about that? Also, if you want their measurements, I can tell you those too~"

Eito asked:

"What is your goal in doing this?"

"To reach Class A, of course. Do you want to stay in Class D forever? To be honest, I'm quite disappointed in the students of this class, but if you're willing to help, I think there's still a glimmer of hope, which would give me some motivation."

Clearly, Matsushita also saw that this class was somewhat beyond saving; if they couldn't even manage to be united, how could they compete against other classes?

Just in terms of the ability to judge the situation, she was already better than Suzune.

It was just that she lacked a certain flexibility; she hadn't been able to see the meaning behind the S points in the first month, and she had spent almost all of her money.

While such a person was excellent, it was difficult for her to become a leader.

She was not a genius.

Chapter 41: Matsushita's Compromise

"Give me a reason to form an alliance with you."

To avoid being noticed by the two people in front, he deliberately turned his head to the side and spoke in a very low voice.

The so-called reason meant benefits.

He wouldn't do anything without a cause, unless it was fun.

And something like getting Class D to reach Class A wasn't particularly fun.

Matsushita understood what he meant and traced circles on his shoulder with her index finger:

"If you can help me reach Class A, then I'll give myself to you. How about that? That's a pretty good deal, isn't it? Just to clarify, I'm still a virgin."

"Is that really okay?"

"It doesn't matter. I already had a bit of a crush on you, and I like people who are stronger than me. If you can really pull it off, I wouldn't mind marrying you."

"You really are an interesting person, but there are plenty of people more capable than me. Won't you regret it?" Eito said.

"I might regret it, but there's another layer to it—perhaps I feel that we are very much alike."

The "very much alike" part meant that they both liked to hide their true selves.

Matsushita's proposal would indeed be very attractive to an average person.

Reaching Class A would benefit oneself, and one could also gain a beautiful girl. Even if the result failed, the other party would still provide information on the girls for free. If it were Yamauchi, he probably would have already wagged his tail and agreed.

However, it didn't hold that much appeal for Eito.

Moreover, he didn't believe her words, because wasn't this just her painting a pie in the sky for him?

Who knew if Matsushita was just trying to trick him.

"If Matsushita-san can settle the benefits for me first, I might consider it."

"Finally stopped pretending?"

"Pretending what? If we're talking about being exposed, weren't you the one who exposed yourself first? If you don't agree, I'll just treat what was said earlier as if it never happened, and we'll remain ordinary classmates."

"..."

I don't know how much time passed, but Matsushita finally relented:

"Fine, but you have to prove to me first that you have enough strength for me to acknowledge you."

"Sorry, I'm the type of person who likes to hide my strength, so I can't fulfill that condition."

"...Are you messing with me?"

As Matsushita's stiff voice came through, Eito felt a sharp pain in his waist.

Why do all women like to use this move?

"You forced my hand." As Eito said this, the hand supporting Matsushita began to wander up and down, occasionally giving a firm squeeze.

"Hey, stop it, you pervert!"

"You were the one who started it, you deserve it."

"Alright, alright... I won't pinch you anymore, just stop moving."

"Fine."

After he stopped, there was an unnatural flush on Matsushita's face.

She panted and said:

"There is no way I'm agreeing to those perverted conditions of yours, but I can give you a little reward for now."

"Is it the same kind as before?"

"You're disgusting."

"Uh..."

"Anyway, don't worry about what it is for now... We're almost there, I'll talk to you about it later."

Seeing the students coming and going around them, Eito shut his mouth.

After sending Matsushita to the tent to rest and leaving the rest to the others, he departed from the area.

His actions earned him praise from quite a few girls, but there was one person whose gaze toward him felt slightly off.

Just as he tried to trace the source of that gaze, it was pulled back.

However, he still managed to lock onto someone in a specific spot.

Karuizawa Kei?

By this time, the sky was nearly dark.

In a few more hours, at 8:00 PM, Chabashira would conduct a roll call for the entire class. Roll calls had to be done every morning and evening, and missing one person meant a deduction of 5 points.

This was not only for the safety of the students in the class but also to keep them in check and prevent them from wandering off.

Although this exam was a survival test on an island, it was actually a far cry from real survival.

In this society that values human rights, the school didn't dare to go too far.

Moreover, the school didn't truly want to train the students' wilderness survival skills; what they were really testing was teamwork.

And this was precisely the biggest flaw of Class D.

There were no lights at night, so they had to rely on torches for illumination; there were no mobile phones and no entertainment.

Bored students could only sit together and chat, and those who didn't want to talk could only go to sleep.

The boys and girls were separated, and on the boys' side, Yamauchi and Ike were especially happy.

Eito walked over to where Yamauchi was.

Besides Sudo, there was the Professor and a few other boys here. Yukimura was not present; he had no interest in such vulgar content.

As for why it was vulgar.

Yamauchi:

"Let's bet on which girl goes to the bathroom first."

As expected of Yamauchi, he would come up with something as sleazy and boring as this to bet on.

Fortunately, since they were all boys, no one said anything to him.

Ike seemed very happy and immediately placed his bet on Hasebe.

As for the reason, he couldn't be bothered to listen, so he left that spot and walked to a slightly more distant area.

Behind him came the rustling sound of leaves rubbing against each other.

Was someone following him?

He turned his head to look, only to discover it was—

Sakura Airi (observing from the shadows)

Her small figure was hiding behind a tree. There were no lights at night, but under the illumination of the moonlight, he still clearly saw her face.

"Sakura, stop hiding, come over here."

"Oh." Sakura shuffled toward him step by step like a child who had done something wrong. "Um... I didn't mean to follow you... it's just..."

"I know." He took Sakura's hand. "Come with me."

He pulled Sakura to a spot beneath a rock that no one noticed.

The scenery here was beautiful, offering a clear view of the distant sea, and shielded by the rock, there was no wind blowing in.

He found a clean patch of ground to sit on, then pulled Sakura to sit between his legs.

He then hugged Sakura tightly from behind, letting her body lean into his chest.

Sakura was a bit stiff at first, but she soon relaxed, leaning back softly against him.

"Sakura."

"Wh... what?"

"Can I call you Airi from now on?"

"...Mm... then I'll call you Eito from now on too."

"It's a deal, then."

Silence fell between them once more.

Slowly, his hands began to grow restless, moving upward bit by bit until they touched the edge of her rising curves.

"Is it okay?"

He gently bit Sakura's ear, blowing air against her neck.

"Mm."

Sakura let out a soft hum.

But soon, the humming grew faster and more frequent.

"Airi, do you trust me?"

"Mm."

Airi lay in his arms, and although he had ceased his movements, the girl's soft body was still rising and falling slowly, her exhaled breath carrying a scorching heat that condensed into droplets in the air.

He gently fastened the buttons for Airi, the fair and alluring sight slowly disappearing beneath his hands.

He did not trust anyone.

There was no need to.

Trust might inspire a person's strength, but it also lowered a person's reason.

As long as one trusted no one, one would never be hurt.

Without expectations, there is no disappointment.

His world was a lonely one, and Airi's was the same.

It was just that now, the girl's heart might have undergone a subtle change.

Holding that full yet somewhat fragile body, his consciousness sank into an endless void.