In Classroom of the Elite, Ichinose You Will Regret It

"Kamuro-san must have heard some rumors, right? I am indeed the daughter of the school's chairman; that is the truth."

"That is why I know the rules of this school, but I cannot speak of them, otherwise, it would be suspected as cheating."

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head, smiling as she explained to Kamuro Masumi.

"By the way, Kamuro-san, you must keep this a secret. Also, Shinsei-kun has been a bit distracted in class lately..."

"Got it, got it..."

Kamuro Masumi's face was covered in black lines as she thought of the conditions of Uesugi Gen's deal...

"Wait a minute, based on what you're saying, could it be that guy's goal is—"

"That's right. He saw through the school's rules from the very beginning and intends to plant a nail in Class A before anyone even realizes it."

Sakayanagi Arisu said this with unexpected calmness.

"He wants to use this to obtain intelligence on Class A, an unknown existence silently spying from the shadows."

Her flat voice echoed in Kamuro Masumi's ears, and a chill rose from nowhere, cold and piercing, straight to the top of her head.

"That guy, he's actually planning something like this."

Kamuro Masumi stared intently at her phone screen, gritting her teeth.

If she hadn't been unyielding, if she hadn't come to find Sakayanagi Arisu, if Sakayanagi hadn't happened to know the truth, then Class A would...

"In a way, it's quite fortunate. Because even without Kamuro-san, I suspect that person would have found another handle, and I wouldn't have met him."

Sakayanagi Arisu's smile grew wider, her eyes fixed on the phone as if trying to see through the screen to the true face of the person on the other side.

"That bastard, I'm deleting him right now."

Kamuro Masumi, feeling flustered and angry, prepared to delete the contact, wanting him out of sight and out of mind.

"No, Kamuro-san, you cannot delete him... on the contrary, you must agree to his demands."

Seeing this, Sakayanagi Arisu unexpectedly stepped in to stop her.

"Why? If that guy finds out Class A's intelligence, then Class A..."

Kamuro Masumi asked, puzzled.

"Even if Kamuro-san deletes him, given the skills he has shown so far, he would likely quickly plant a second nail. With the enemy in the dark and us in the light, we would be in a passive position."

"It is better to agree to his demands. Moreover, the information you give him must be true so that he won't suspect Kamuro-san."

"As for who to give it to, didn't he say to give it according to your will? I think information on Katsuragi-kun would be quite good."

Sakayanagi Arisu's smile deepened, looking exactly like a little fox that had successfully stolen a chicken.

"More importantly, I am curious about his identity, very curious. This way, we can temporarily gain his trust, and when he is off guard, we can uncover his identity in one fell swoop and turn the tables on him with the hidden camera footage."

Sakayanagi Arisu spoke in a lighthearted tone, as if she had found a new toy and couldn't wait to play with it.

Indeed, while theft is a very serious matter, in Japan, hidden filming combined with blackmail is a surefire way to social death. If she could find him, she could threaten him in return...

Thinking of this, Kamuro Masumi felt a strange sense of excitement.

"I understand. I'll reply to that guy's message right now."

Kamuro Masumi replied quickly.

Hmm?

Uesugi Gen looked at his phone, his face full of confusion.

How did the other side agree to the conditions immediately after I played a game?

Looking at the message sent by the other party, Uesugi Gen fell into deep thought.

Judging from the initial messages sent by the other party, she seemed to have a "better to be a broken jade than an intact tile" mentality.

What could have caused such a 180-degree turn in her attitude?

Did she think it through?

It's possible, but highly unlikely. Unless a major event occurred, a person's personality is difficult to change in a short time, especially for someone with such a resilient character who isn't afraid of threats.

The other possibility is—she directly switched with someone else.

Different people have different personalities, which is why they produce such vastly different results.

Truly impressive, Miss Phantom Thief. You would rather expose your own dark side to others than be threatened.

Uesugi Gen sighed in genuine admiration.

If this deduction holds, the person Miss Phantom Thief sought help from must be someone she believes can resolve this situation.

In other words, someone with extraordinary intelligence.

Are you planning to turn the tables on me?

Uesugi Gen stared at his phone, a hint of excitement appearing on his face.

That's true, using this kind of move carries immense risk; once your true identity is discovered, the game is over.

Uesugi: [Please tell me your measurements, Kamuro-san, because you are truly very cute.]

A thunderous opening move, going straight for the ultimate technique.

So then, Miss Thief, How will you answer? Based on your original personality, you would absolutely never answer a question like this.

As long as you answer, it means my deduction is correct, and the initiative will return to my hands.

You are flawless when you are unthreatened and desire nothing, but as long as you still want to find my true identity, a flaw appears.

You will have no choice but to provide me with information to prevent me from deleting you.

Huh? Measurements?

Kamuro Masumi stared at her phone, her face full of rage.

"It seems our true intentions have already been discovered by the other party. What should we do, Kamuro-san?"

"Should we delete him directly, or do as he says and wait until he lets his guard down to find his true identity?"

Sakayanagi Arisu fanned the flames from the side, looking like she was just there to watch the chaos.

Kamuro Masumi's expression flickered between light and shadow. For some reason, a punchable laugh suddenly echoed in her mind, making her feel waves of annoyance.

Gritting her teeth, she hit send.

You just wait, you damn guy. Don't ever let me find out who you are.

Otherwise, I will definitely put your head on the ground and stomp it to death.

Wow, Miss Thief is unexpectedly well-endowed.

Uesugi Gen could feel Miss Thief's fury through the screen.

I should probably comfort her a little.

Uesugi: [Don't be angry, I was just joking, Kamuro-san. It's just that you are truly too cute.]

Kamuro: [You just wait for me...]

After trading a few more blows with Kamuro Masumi, she stopped replying to his messages. There was no helping it; he would just have to talk to her next time.

Uesugi: [For the next three years, please take care of me, Miss Thief.]

Uesugi: [Oh, right, as a friend, I'll remind you: it's best not to do things like theft anymore. If you want excitement, come chat with me. After all, chatting with an enemy is quite a stimulating experience, isn't it, Kamuro-san?]

Done, sent.

Uesugi Gen stretched and set his phone aside.

Regardless of whether the other party changed their personality or if it was a different person entirely, his initial goal was achieved, wasn't it?

So then, Let's see if you find me first within these three years, or if I manage to hide my identity and get three years of free information out of you.

Good luck, Miss Thief and her backer!

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Chapter 14: The Corruption of Uesugi Gen

Time passed quietly.

In the blink of an eye, a week had passed since the start of school at Advanced Nurturing High School.

Inside the girls' dormitory, "~Hmm~~hm~"

Ichinose hummed a lighthearted tune while skillfully flipping the meat patties in the pan with a spatula.

Although she had been going out to eat with her classmates since school started, she was naturally frugal and was actually more accustomed to preparing her own bento.

After getting familiar with her classmates, Ichinose had finally settled into her own rhythm of life.

"And that's a success."

Ichinose wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead.

Looking at the bento on the table—simple, yet very nutritious—Ichinose picked up the lid and covered it.

She could eat with Chihiro and Mako at noon.

Packing her bag and putting on her leather shoes, Ichinose stepped out of the girls' dormitory with a light, brisk pace.

"Good morning, Honami-chan!"

"Good morning."

"Morning, Ichinose."

"Morning."

Just like that, Ichinose responded to everyone while walking toward the Class B classroom.

Sunlight spilled onto Ichinose's golden-pink long hair, casting a crystalline glow over her entire being.

The young girl began her new day of life.

At the same time.

Inside the boys' dormitory.

In a gloomy room.

The blackout curtains were drawn shut without a single gap, and in the dim room, only the computer and tower screens in the corner flickered with multicolored lights, reflecting onto some indescribable object.

"Dodge... dodge!"

"What is that jungler doing? Is he sleepwalking?"

"Getting ready to take the dragon... and they shamelessly ambush... do they think I'm afraid of two people? Marksman, why are you running? I can carry... even three people aren't my match... damn it!"

20-7-2

game over

Uesugi Gen leaned back in his chair, his eyes glazed over.

Seven losses in a row!

Is this my problem, or is it the game's problem?

No, this must be the world's problem!