In Classroom of the Elite, but in the Underworld 4

"Let's hear it."

"To make sure no one else hears, I'll get a bit closer."

"...Fine."

Eito took a few steps forward, leaned in slightly toward her ear, and whispered:

"Chabashira-sensei, I want..."

"--What!"

Chabashira was so startled by his words that she nearly jumped to her feet.

Then, as if fermenting, a visible flush of red crept up her neck.

Coupled with the ticklish sensation from his breath against her ear, she felt a restlessness she had never experienced before rising throughout her body.

Taking a deep breath to banish the sudden fantasies, she looked at Eito, who had already returned to his original spot:

"Are you serious?"

"Of course."

"..." Chabashira was silent for a moment, then said, "Let me think about it for a while. I'll tell you later."

"Mhm, take your time, Sensei. I'm not in a rush anyway... If there's nothing else, I'll be heading out?"

"Get out!"

"Understood!"

Eito left the office at top speed.

As he neared Class D, he heard a great deal of noise inside. Upon reaching the door, he realized they were in the middle of self-introductions.

Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he heard Yamauchi's voice:

"My name is Yamauchi Haruki. In elementary school, I made it to the national table tennis tournament, and in middle school, I was the ace pitcher for the baseball club, wearing jersey number four. But I got injured during the high school league and am currently in rehab. Nice to meet you all."

"Interesting--"

Once Yamauchi finished, he walked into the classroom:

"Everyone, is it my turn?"

"If you're ready, Takeda-kun, you can go ahead~"

The one who answered him was Kikyo, her sweet smile like morning dew, instantly cleansing his soul.

The others had no objections.

Suddenly being stared at by so many people made him feel a bit embarrassed. After a light cough, he said:

"My name is Takeda Eito. My hobby is baseball, and my position is also pitcher. In middle school, I participated in the high school league and accidentally beat up a guy named Yamauchi. He's currently in rehab. Please treat me well."

The students of Class D were silent for a few seconds, and then.

"Hahaha--"

Quite a few people burst out laughing, while many more were holding back, their shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Yamauchi jumped up immediately: "What are you talking about? I didn't even know you in middle school, how could I have been injured by you?"

"Eh? Eh?" Eito looked at him in surprise.

"What 'eh'? I don't know you at all, there's no way I could have lost to a guy like you! Everyone, don't let him fool you! He's lying!" Yamauchi tried his best to explain, wanting to expose his lie.

However, what he didn't know was that everyone already knew it was a lie, and they had already seen through his own introduction as well—how could a middle schooler participate in a high school league?

They were laughing at him precisely because they knew, but unfortunately, he was the only one who didn't.

What an idiot.

As the organizer of the activity, Hirata Yosuke stepped in to mediate:

"Alright, I understand, Yamauchi-kun. Please calm down; other students still need to introduce themselves."

"Yeah, Yamauchi, if you want to make a scene, go outside. Don't hold us up."

As expected of Hirata, a girl quickly stood up to support him.

"Tch." Yamauchi pursed his lips, shot a jealous look at Hirata, and slowly sat back down.

"Next is me--"

By this time, Eito had already returned to his seat.

He glanced toward the back and noticed that, except for Ayanokoji, the people in the last row were all gone.

He remembered that the people sitting in the last row were supposed to be Suzune, Sudo, and someone named Sakura...

"Hey, hey~ Takeda, you were so cool just now!"

The one who leaned over to strike up a conversation was his desk mate, Sato Maya.

"What did I do?"

Sato said with an excited expression:

"I've had my eye on that Yamauchi for a while now. I didn't expect you to make him look like a fool with just a few words. You really helped me vent my frustration; I feel so much better now."

"Oh."

You're being hated, Yamauchi-kun.

Chapter 5: Horikita Suzune has registered

"My name is Kushida Kikyo. Since none of my middle school friends came to this school with me, I'm all alone. That's why I want to memorize everyone's faces and names as quickly as possible and become friends. My first goal is to get along well with everyone here. Once everyone finishes their self-introductions, please be sure to exchange contact information with me."

Accompanied by a sweet and cute smile, the girl with short, light-brown hair was instantly welcomed by her classmates.

In fact, she had already become friends with many people before this. It was easy to imagine that her status in the class would be on par with Hirata's.

After saying a few more words, Kikyo sat down.

Then, who is next—

"The student in the corner over there, could you please go next?"

Following Hirata's voice, everyone looked at Ayanokoji, who was sitting in his seat.

"Uh..."

It's over; he hadn't thought of anything yet.

Although he had simulated many different self-introductions in his mind, he had thought about it too much, and now he didn't know what to say.

Just then, he saw a note being secretly tossed over from the front.

He opened it to take a look and discovered that it was a written self-introduction.

—So this is what it feels like to have a friend. It's surprisingly not bad.

Ayanokoji calmed down and began to read according to the note:

"My name is Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. My special skill is carrying a piano while practicing calligraphy... eh... I like raising small animals. Don't look at me with that 'I just lost a family member' expression... that... actually, this is because a Tibetan fox I raised when I was a child died, and I'm imitating the expression it had right before it died... Please take care of me... uh... what..."

"...Is Ayanokoji-kun really that amazing? He can actually carry a piano?"

"What is a Tibetan fox?"

Those who knew what a Tibetan fox looked like had already started laughing, those who didn't were asking, and those who weren't interested were looking at him with strange expressions.

He was completely treated as a weirdo...

Ayanokoji looked at Eito in front of him silently, only to find that the other party was sitting there honestly, like a bystander.

However, speaking of pianos and calligraphy, he did know a little bit, but how could this guy know that?

Could it be a coincidence?

Perhaps.

Just like other schools, the entrance ceremony at this school was equally boring.

After the entrance ceremony ended in the morning, Eito had arranged to go to the supermarket with Ayanokoji to buy some daily necessities.

In fact, besides Ayanokoji, Kikyo and Sato had both invited him to go to karaoke or a cafe, but he had refused them, citing social anxiety as his excuse.

School had only just started; he didn't want to get tangled up with girls.

Even if his reputation among the girls was high, being ostracized by the male group wouldn't be of much help to his harmonious campus life. He didn't want to become the second Hirata.

This supermarket was quite large, and it had all kinds of daily necessities inside.

Because he knew how to cook, he wanted to go to the vegetable section to buy some fresh vegetables, but after seeing the prices, he couldn't help but sigh.

So expensive.

He picked out a few cheap ones and went to meet up with Ayanokoji.

At this moment, Ayanokoji was standing in front of the sundries counter, as if he were picking something out.

He looked at the dazzling array of nail clippers in front of Ayanokoji's counter and felt sincere admiration in his heart:

[As expected of you, already scouting for tools of the trade so quickly.]

Just then, a girl with long black hair and an outstanding appearance walked in. As if she had noticed the two of them, she snorted coldly and walked toward the other end.

Eito also saw her and patted Ayanokoji on the shoulder:

"That looks like your deskmate. Do you want to go over and say hello?"

"Uh... I think I'll pass."

If he didn't have a friend like Eito, Ayanokoji might have been more proactive, but there was no need now.

Moreover, he had taken the initiative to speak to Suzune before, but her attitude was surprisingly poor, as if he owed her money.

If you set aside her appearance, there shouldn't be many people who would like such a nasty woman.

However, Eito ignored his feelings and dragged him over anyway.

"Hallo, Horikita-san, are you here at the supermarket to buy things too? What a coincidence." Eito greeted her eagerly, like a friendly neighbor.

However, Suzune didn't even look at him and continued to pick out items on her own:

"I'm sorry, I'm Japanese and don't understand English. If you need help, please ask the waiter over there."

Sour radish, don't eat it!

Maintaining his good upbringing, he didn't curse, but instead asked earnestly:

"Horikita-san, may I ask if I've offended you in some way? Why do you have such a strong prejudice against me?"

"You've misunderstood. I don't have any prejudice against you; I simply don't like you as a person. Just as everyone has different preferences, they also have different things they dislike. My dislike for you is merely a personal action on my part and has nothing to do with you. Likewise, you have the right to choose; whether you like or dislike me is your own freedom, and it has nothing to do with me."

The affairs of this world can generally be divided into two categories:

None of your business, None of my business.

Suzune was clearly a master in this regard, perfectly applying its essence to her words and successfully striking a blow to Eito, leaving him speechless.

"Alright, I have important matters to attend to. If you two have nothing better to do, go bother someone else. I'm afraid I won't be keeping you company."

"..."

Under the gazes of Ayanokoji and Eito, Suzune walked away with her head held high.