In Classroom of the Elite, but in the Underworld Chapter 8

"Come out here, you coward."

"Not a chance. If you've got the guts, come and hit me, you idiot."

"Ayanokoji, move aside." Horikita Suzune glared at the two of them, her expression growing increasingly volatile.

But Ayanokoji did not budge.

It was clear he had already made his choice.

Go for it, Ayanokoji, let Horikita Suzune see your true strength.

"Fine, then I'll teach both of you a lesson!"

However, the speakers crackled to life at that moment:

"Attention all first-year students, thank you for waiting. We will now begin the club orientation session, presented by club representatives. I am Tachibana, secretary of the Student Council, and I will be your moderator for this session. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

The venue quieted down.

Knowing she could no longer cause a scene, Horikita Suzune shot the two of them a hateful glare and refrained from taking any further action.

Next came the introductions for the various clubs.

The clubs at this school were quite professional, and they were in no way inferior to those at a professional level.

Some of the more famous clubs had even won numerous national awards.

Generally speaking, all the popular clubs were represented, such as the Kendo Club, Baseball Club, Go Club, and Swimming Club.

After the club introductions concluded, it was time for the Student Council presentation.

And the Student Council President was none other than Horikita Suzune's brother, Horikita Manabu.

He stood about 170-something centimeters tall with clean, neat black hair and intellectual black-rimmed glasses. He stood there with a composed posture, and even without him speaking, Eito could sense an indescribable power hidden beneath his frame just from his aura.

The person who serves as Student Council President at this school is typically someone at the very pinnacle of the grade's strength.

Furthermore, those who graduate from this school as Student Council President have a significant influence on their future in society.

Eito noticed that ever since Horikita Manabu took the stage, Horikita Suzune had been staring fixedly at him.

It was an expression he had never seen on her before.

With her icy exterior stripped away, the anxious, fearful, uneasy, yet hopeful gaze she wore made her look more like an ordinary girl.

So, this person had a cute side after all.

Eito liked cute things, so he stopped paying attention to the stage and stared intently at Horikita Suzune instead.

Since the start of school, he hadn't really observed her properly.

Watching her up close now, he realized that Horikita Suzune was truly a beauty.

Her delicate, refined nose, paired with violet-red pupils, adorned her fair, petite face, and her long, waist-length black hair was as smooth and silky as a waterfall.

If not for her sharp tongue, her popularity in class likely wouldn't be lower than Karuizawa's.

Of course, she couldn't compare to Kikyo, because Kikyo's greatest weapon wasn't her appearance, but her empathy.

Before long, Horikita Suzune noticed his gaze.

She shot him an angry look, stopped paying attention to Horikita Manabu on stage, and turned to leave, looking somewhat dejected.

And he followed right after her.

Chapter 10: Little Angel Kikyo-chan

Whether in games or in reality, stalking is a sophisticated and profound discipline.

A stalker must maintain a certain distance to avoid detection, yet cannot stray too far, lest they lose track of their target.

Furthermore, utilizing cover and disguising oneself to avoid standing out are essential factors.

As a beginner who had just stepped into this field, stalking the beautiful girl in his class—his sharp-tongued classmate, Horikita Suzune—was Eito's first trial.

It was not just an accumulation of technique, but also a tempering of the spirit.

Just as he watched the graceful figure ahead and thought about his own actions, a strange sense of agitation stirred within him.

Carrying this feeling, he followed her all the way to the front of his dormitory building.

Then, he realized a simple truth.

Sometimes, not everything one does has a point.

"Yeah, I should just go back."

The next morning.

To avoid running into Horikita Suzune and falling into the same awkwardness as yesterday morning, he decided to wake up half an hour early.

And then, while waiting for the elevator, he saw Horikita Suzune standing inside.

"...What a coincidence."

Horikita Suzune: "I suspect you did this on purpose."

"How is that possible..."

"Um, are we still going, Takeda-kun?"

Eito was startled awake by a soft, pleasant voice, and only then did he look to the other side of the elevator:

"Kushida?"

Yes, the other person in the elevator was none other than the adorable Kushida.

"Um, I think I'll just—"

"Let's go together," Suzune said, her eyes locked onto him with a hint of a threat.

"Fine."

After the elevator doors closed, Kikyo asked curiously:

"Are Horikita-san and Takeda-kun close?"

"Not at all," Suzune said decisively.

If they weren't close, why make him come along? She must be crazy.

Although that was what he thought, he could roughly guess the reason; perhaps she hated being alone with Kikyo even more than she hated being with him.

Kikyo nodded, her mouth slightly agape as she tapped her chin with her finger, and continued to ask:

"You two seem so intimate, could it be that Takeda-kun is pursuing Horikita-san?"

"That doesn't seem to have anything to do with Kushida-san, does it?" Suzune's tone carried a hint of anger.

"Um..." Eito spoke up, unafraid of death, "Could you deny that question before discussing whether it has anything to do with her? This isn't great for me; I'll be misunderstood."

"Hah—" Suzune laughed mockingly, "So you're afraid of that? Is it because you like this woman that you're afraid of being misunderstood? Heh."

"Eh, really? Does Takeda-kun like me?" Kikyo widened her eyes slightly, staring at him without blinking.

"Uh, I don't dislike you, I suppose."

"What's that supposed to mean? You got my hopes up for nothing, though I do quite like Takeda-kun."

Suzune scoffed, "What is there to like about this guy? He's completely useless."

Kikyo said, "Eh, doesn't Horikita-san know? Takeda-kun is actually quite popular in our class. From what I've gathered, there are already two girls who have a crush on him."

"Oh, that's really nice, Takeda," Suzune said, "Hurry up and vent your animal desires so you can stop making me feel sick in front of me."

"Uh..."

Eito was speechless.

Is this woman sick? Why does she keep scolding him? He hadn't even done anything.

Besides, he felt something was off.

Why hadn't the elevator arrived yet after so long?

"Kushida, why didn't you press the elevator button?"

"Oh my, I forgot. Sorry, sorry~"

Kikyo stuck out her tongue and apologized.

She did that on purpose.

The elevator reached the ground floor immediately after.

Suzune didn't even glance at the two of them and walked away.

"Well then, I'll—"

"Wait a second."

Kikyo grabbed his arm, pleading with a hint of fragility in her voice:

"Can you not leave? If both of you abandon me, I feel like I might..."

"...Fine."

"Mm-hmm, thank you! Let's go~"

Kikyo hopped out of the elevator with light steps, then turned back to look at him with a faint smile.

"Yeah."

He followed after her.

Even though he was wary of Kikyo, for this moment, he could feel the joy in the girl's heart.

This feeling was perhaps as fleeting as a white horse passing a crack in the wall, ethereal and hard to find.

But precisely because it was rare, it seemed all the more precious.

When he arrived at school in the morning, he heard some people seemingly discussing something.

That small group, besides the Idiot Trio, also included a chubby boy.

He remembered the name was Sotoyama Hideo, nicknamed Professor.

Despite his appearance as an overweight nerd, he was actually highly skilled in computer technology.

Eito moved closer before he could hear clearly what they were talking about.

There was a swimming class today, and Yamauchi and the others had commissioned Professor to create a ranking of the female students' breast sizes in the class.

And right now, they were placing bets on the sizes.

One bet was one thousand points.

Currently, the one with the highest odds was Hasebe, with odds of 1.8.

"Takeda, do you want to play too?" Yamauchi greeted him happily.

"...I'll pass."

Noticing that today was the swimming class, he suddenly remembered something that might happen.

The only girls he could turn to for help right now were Kikyo and Sato.

Seeing that Sato's seat was empty, he secretly sent a text message to her.

Then, very soon, it was time for the swimming class.

After changing clothes in the locker room, he walked toward the pool with Ayanokoji.

On the way, Ayanokoji said:

"Your physique seems quite good... have you been working out?"

"Even if a guy says that to me, I won't be happy."