In Classroom of the Elite, Ichinose You Will Regret It

After a simple swimming competition, it was time for free activity.

"How about it, Kanzaki? Want to race me? I'm actually quite confident in my athletic ability."

"Pass. It's just a swim; I don't want to tire myself out like that."

Uesugi Gen poked half his head above the water, silently listening to the conversation between the two.

They really were a pair of energetic guys, not feeling tired even after swimming for so long.

In contrast, the lazy Uesugi Gen didn't want to move at all, relaxing his body and floating on his back, drifting along with the current.

At this moment, Uesugi Gen stared blankly at the ceiling above the pool, feeling the sound of the flowing water.

This swimming class was strange.

Compared to the indulgence other teachers showed their students, Gorilla Teacher had subjected them to rigorous training right from the start.

If it were merely to make the students more excellent and competitive, why not synchronize with the other teachers? It would probably be much more effective to wait until the S-system was revealed before becoming strict.

Did the timing not allow for it?

Combined with Gorilla Teacher's remark, "I will definitely make sure you learn by summer."

It was highly likely that a special exam involving water would be held in the summer.

Therefore, for the sake of the students' safety, he was having them undergo rigorous training to learn how to swim in advance.

Based on this, and the information provided by Nice Senior.

Exams held within the school could be ruled out first; although the first-year area was an island, it wouldn't require the entire student body to go swimming, and one could also rule out off-campus special exams that didn't require swimming.

Survival on a deserted island, perhaps...

[My adventure is nearing its end, now it is your turn, young man!]

A voice from nowhere rang in Uesugi Gen's ears, piercing straight to the top of his head.

Oh, here I go!!

Uesugi Gen stood up from the water with a splash, and as if injected with adrenaline, he dove forward and swam to the other side, then swam back again, repeating the process over and over.

The students of Class B watched this scene in stunned silence.

"Hey, Shibata, what's wrong with Uesugi?"

Kanzaki Ryuji watched Uesugi Gen swim past him and couldn't help but nudge Shibata Hayate beside him with his elbow to express his confusion.

"How would I know? I play soccer, not water-walking."

Shibata Hayate rolled his eyes and retorted helplessly.

"Have I been pushing Uesugi-kun too hard lately?"

Nearby, Ichinose looked at Uesugi Gen's state with some concern.

Himeno Yuki of the trainee group rested her chin on one hand, watching Uesugi Gen quietly.

That guy, he actually looks pretty cool when he swims...

Chapter 21 Nagumo Miyabi Issues a Fencing Invitation

Horikita: [Come to the meeting, this is the last time I'm saying it!]

Faced with Uesugi Gen, who had ignored his meeting notifications multiple times, Horikita Manabu issued his final warning.

Uesugi Gen snorted coldly.

Are you kidding? He couldn't even be bothered to attend class; would he really do something as boring as attending a meeting? If you've got the guts, just have the school expel me.

Looking at the Student Council door sign in front of him, Uesugi Gen, standing below it, sighed helplessly.

You were the one who told me you'd give me a cushy position, so what is this situation now? Calling me to meetings every other day, and it's not like I can refuse—the dignified Student Council President actually went to Ichinose to complain.

This guy really had thick skin; even though he had rejected Ichinose, he could still ask her for help without changing his expression.

Uesugi Gen opened the Student Council door and greeted the people inside listlessly.

"Good morning, President."

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Secretary-ko."

"I've told you already, I'm not a secretary, I'm the Student Council Secretary."

"I don't know you, but good morning, Blondie."

Uesugi Gen hung his head, gave a casual greeting, walked to his seat, plopped down, and started sleeping as if no one else was there.

"Uh, good morning to you too."

Inside the Student Council, the handsome, blond-haired senior's smile froze, and he immediately turned to Horikita Manabu and said, "Senior, is that him? The new Vice President who just joined?"

Horikita Manabu took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, and replied helplessly, "Although I really don't want to admit it, it is him."

"What a junior who doesn't respect his seniors."

Nagumo Miyabi suppressed the anger in his heart and forced a smile onto his face.

He had even investigated a thing or two about how this junior had obtained the position of vice president.

If possible, he didn't want to provoke this junior; the fact that he could get Kōiku to accept capital investment proved that he could influence the school's decision-making to a certain extent.

And since the power of the student council originated from the school, pushing someone who represented the school to the opposite side was not a wise choice.

In comparison, Horikita Manabu's reaction interested Nagumo Miyabi even more.

"I'm a bit curious, why did Senior Horikita let him join the student council and take the position of vice president?"

The implication was that, given Horikita Manabu's personality, why would he be indifferent to this matter?

"Because he wasn't invited by me to join; he was invited by the school. As the student council president, I had no right to refuse. It's that simple."

Uesugi Gen, who had been resting with his eyes closed in his seat, took over the conversation and provided another seemingly reasonable explanation.

Judging from Nagumo Miyabi's words, Horikita Manabu had not told him the detailed process of how Uesugi Gen joined.

Furthermore, according to information from Nice Senior, Nagumo Miyabi was a guy who liked to stir up trouble for no reason.

One Horikita Manabu was already enough of a headache for Uesugi Gen; he didn't want to add a Nagumo Miyabi to the mix.

Therefore, Uesugi Gen proactively cut off Nagumo Miyabi's line of questioning, implicitly telling Horikita Manabu not to leak his information.

In an instant, everyone's gaze turned toward Uesugi Gen.

"For real?"

"Is there such a thing?"

"..."

Such sounds of disbelief rang out within the student council.

"Although I don't want to admit it, that is how it is."

Horikita Manabu also had no way to deal with Uesugi Gen; he hadn't forgotten that he still had a recording in Uesugi Gen's hands.

Furthermore, he didn't want to hand over Uesugi Gen's information to Nagumo; such a thing would only make the situation in the student council even more complicated.

Seeing Horikita Manabu's helpless appearance, Nagumo Miyabi instantly threw the question of Uesugi Gen to the back of his mind.

Although he was a very annoying junior, as long as he could make Horikita Manabu feel a headache, he wasn't that hard to accept.

Nagumo Miyabi, who had risen from Class B to Class A in one year and had already unified most of the students in the second year, could be said to have cleared the entire Advanced Nurturing High School.

He could only sing of how lonely it was to be invincible among the second years.

Among the remaining students, the only one who could bring him pressure was Horikita Manabu, whom he had always regarded as his goal and who was known as the most outstanding student council president in history.

Therefore, Ever since unifying the second year, Nagumo Miyabi had spared no effort in issuing dueling invitations to Horikita Manabu.

But every time, Horikita Manabu would refuse on the grounds that fighting him was no different from the competition between classes.

Regarding this, although Nagumo Miyabi was unwilling, he was helpless in the face of the student council president's authority.

Now, there was suddenly such a student who could make the serious Horikita Manabu feel the same helplessness.

It seemed to let some of Nagumo Miyabi's resentment be vented as well.

Moreover, this lazy junior didn't seem to threaten his position, and he could incidentally disgust Horikita Manabu.

For a moment, that handsome face of Uesugi Gen, which had made Nagumo Miyabi feel somewhat uncomfortable, became pleasing to the eye.

Even Nagumo Miyabi's expression became gentle, and he joked, "Well, well, perhaps this junior is just too tired from studying, so he's just resting over there."

No, this person not only never studied, but also often skipped class in the name of being the student council vice president.

Horikita Manabu, who knew Uesugi Gen's information, silently complained in his heart.

After the meeting ended, "Senior Horikita..."

"Horikita Manabu..."

"Horikita..."

"..."

As soon as the meeting ended, Nagumo Miyabi hovered around Horikita Manabu.

He kept throwing out topics to try to get his attention, and even when Horikita Manabu changed the subject, he was still happy to do so.

Male, homosexual?

Uesugi Gen watched the interaction between Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi in shock.

I really don't want to say it, but this blond guy, Nagumo Miyabi, must be gay, right? He definitely is.

He can't go three sentences without mentioning Horikita Manabu, and even when Horikita Manabu ignores him, he persistently follows him around.

So, the reason Nagumo-senpai is so obsessed with dueling Horikita Manabu must be because he can't get Horikita Manabu's attention, and he wants to force Horikita Manabu to look at him by defeating him.

Thinking of this, Uesugi Gen hurriedly shifted his chair and quietly backed away two steps, Then, his gaze shifted slightly toward Tachibana Akane, who was standing next to Horikita Manabu.

Come to think of it, Nagumo's attitude toward Tachibana Akane also seems different from how he treats others; there's an inexplicable meaning mixed into his eyes.

Based on his intuition, if Nagumo Miyabi keeps failing to get Horikita Manabu's attention and can't have his duel, he might turn love into hate, And find some way to get the secretary expelled just to provoke Horikita Manabu.

Don't ask where Uesugi Gen's intuition comes from; that's just how all the cheesy novels are written.

For a moment, the look Uesugi Gen gave the secretary was filled with sympathy.

Oh, Secretary-ko, take care of yourself; being targeted by the same man as a gay guy is never a good thing.

Noticing Uesugi Gen's slightly sympathetic gaze, Tachibana Akane was confused at first, but then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she clutched her folder and glared back at Uesugi Gen.

I can only say that Advanced Nurturing High School really has all kinds of people...

Chapter 21: The Daily Life About to End

Ichinose: [Uesugi-kun, remember to come to the pop quiz at the end of the month tomorrow.]

Shibata: [Uesugi, the pop quiz at the end of the month tomorrow is very important, remember to come to class.]

Kanzaki: [Uesugi, there is a pop quiz tomorrow. I heard from Hoshinomiya-sensei that it's very important, don't skip class.]