In Classroom of the Elite, Ichinose You Will Regret This

3:0, passed by unanimous vote.

Hearing this unbelievable news, Uesugi Gen hurriedly turned back and glared at his companions in a fit of rage.

"You two actually chose Ichinose instead of me!"

Shibata Hayate looked helpless and spread his hands.

"There's no helping it. If we left it to Uesugi, you'd definitely use it for some strange schemes, abusing your position for personal gain, and end up spending it all on games."

Uesugi Gen tried his best to argue.

"That is the rational utilization of the rules."

"In any case, that's how it's decided."

Ichinose struck the final blow, settling the matter once and for all.

In the afternoon, after all the classes were finished, the students stayed behind to hear Ichinose's proposal.

"I see, in that case, I approve."

"Half the points? That's fine, I can't use that many anyway."

"This is a wise decision."

Chapter 30: Sleeping, Then Meeting a Literary Beauty

Nearly a week had passed since the truth about the exam was revealed, and Class B had organized another large-scale group activity.

The location this time was—the library.

Class B prepared to hold a collective study session here to prepare for the upcoming midterm exams.

"I just feel like the atmosphere here is completely incompatible with me."

Uesugi Gen looked at his classmates in Class B studying diligently and said helplessly while slumped over his desk.

The library at Kōiku Academy constantly exuded a vibe of academic overachievers that made Uesugi Gen shudder.

Watching this terrifying scene, Uesugi Gen took two steps back and grabbed his school bag, preparing to leave.

"I think I'll go back and diligently cultivate my immortality instead."

"That won't do. It's precisely because Uesugi-kun never studies with us that you lack motivation. Studying is something that requires the company of classmates to have any drive."

Ichinose grabbed Uesugi Gen's hand, making it impossible for him to leave.

"In any case, you'll stay here until the study session is over, Uesugi. This will also help strengthen the class's cohesion, won't it?"

Kanzaki advised him with a straight face.

No, no, no, I think our class's cohesion is already strong enough; any more and we'll turn into a solid crystal.

Since things had come to this, With so many eyes on him, Uesugi Gen couldn't possibly get away, so he had no choice but to stay.

However, the power of the overachievers in this place was too strong; he had to find a spot to exert his full power of laziness to counter it.

In plain English—Uesugi Gen needed to find a quiet, empty corner to take a nap.

He had a feeling that he would sleep very comfortably in this kind of study atmosphere.

After wandering around for a bit, Uesugi Gen found a prime location.

It was quiet, empty, and right next to a window where the warm sunlight slanted in; it looked like the perfect place for a nap.

Uesugi Gen casually pulled a book from a shelf, placed it over his head, got into a comfortable position, and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.

I don't know how much time had passed.

Stare~

Stare~~

Stare~~~

Not far from Uesugi Gen, a cute-looking girl with silver hair and purple eyes, wearing gray over-the-knee socks, was staring straight at Uesugi Gen.

To be precise, she was staring at the book Uesugi Gen had placed over his head.

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders

It was a classic mystery novel written by the Japanese mystery novelist Shimada Soji.

It was also the mystery novel that Shiina Hiyori had specifically come to the library to read today.

She had searched the library earlier and couldn't find it, assuming someone had already checked it out, but she never expected it to be covering that boy's head.

Thinking of the book she had been longing for being used as a casual head-covering by that boy, Shiina Hiyori's cheeks puffed up slightly, forming a cute, bun-like face.

Should she wait until next time to borrow it?

Faced with this situation, Shiina Hiyori, who was not good at interacting with others, began to lose her nerve.

However... he's sleeping so soundly. If I secretly take that book and swap it with another one, there shouldn't be any problems, right?

The young girl hesitated for a moment.

After much deliberation, she decided to take action.

She quietly approached the bookshelf, slowly pulled out a book of similar shape, and then tiptoed toward the sleeping boy.

You can do it! Shiina Hiyori, you can do this.

She cheered herself on silently in her heart.

Approaching the boy, she placed the book she had pulled from the shelf onto the table and slowly reached out both hands to grip the sides of the other book.

"Three..."

She whispered the number to ease the tension in her heart.

"Two..."

The book was already being lifted gently, revealing the boy's handsome face under the sunlight.

At this moment, Shiina Hiyori's heart rate was rapidly increasing.

"One..."

"One, one...?"

"Ichinose, you will regret this!!!"

The sleeping boy suddenly bolted up from his chair, slammed his hands on the table, and shouted those words.

"Ah!"

The silver-haired girl was startled by the sudden movement, lost her balance in the panic, and fell right into the boy's arms with a thud.

Looking at the girl in his arms, Uesugi Gen, who had just woken up, was dazed, unable to distinguish between dream and reality.

Looking at the beautiful girl with a flushed pink face in his arms, Uesugi Gen raised his hand to touch her.

Warm...

Uesugi Gen let go of the beautiful girl in a flash.

In other words, it wasn't a dream!!

Uesugi Gen's brain raced at that instant.

A honey trap? A setup by another class?

No, there was no one else around, and this was in an area covered by security cameras.

Then how did she end up in my arms? A gift from the gods?

At this moment, Uesugi Gen, whose intelligence far exceeded that of an ordinary person, experienced a momentary system crash.

Watching the strange boy before her cycle through expressions of shock and confusion, Shiina Hiyori, having just calmed her nerves, gathered her courage and asked, "Um, could you give me that book?"

In the panic, the book from earlier had been left in Uesugi Gen's arms.

Although Uesugi Gen didn't understand the sequence of events, he clearly saw the girl's goal.

It didn't matter if he didn't understand the problem; as long as he dealt with the person who created the problem, the result would be the same.

"No problem, no problem. The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by Shimada Soji, right? It really is quite a good mystery novel. The rich background and unique narrative style are truly unforgettable."

Uesugi Gen closed his eyes and began to rave about the novel; his acting was so realistic that even the author would have to praise him as a die-hard fan!

"Oh, you like this novel too..."

The girl, who had been a bit shy just a moment ago, had her eyes light up, and she began to discuss the plot of the novel with Uesugi Gen excitedly.

"..."

Shimada.

Uesugi Gen looked at the girl overflowing with joy with a headache.

He had a feeling... that if he told her now that he didn't actually like this novel that much, she would be very sad.

There was no helping it; Uesugi Gen could only force himself to stay upbeat and pretend to be happy while discussing the plot with her.

After some more time had passed, Uesugi Gen, holding two mystery novels recommended by the girl, waved goodbye to her with a smile.

Looking at the two mystery novels in his hand, Uesugi Gen sighed melancholically.

Shiina Hiyori from Class C, huh.

Another beautiful girl who is going to be hard to deal with.

Let's leave it at that for now; since she was kind enough to recommend these mystery novels to him, he might as well take them back and give them a read.

Immediately, Uesugi Gen picked up the two novels, intending to head back to the Class B area.

"You bastard...!"

He hadn't walked far when Uesugi Gen saw a redhead grabbing the collar of a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair.

The redhead was Sudo Ken, the same guy who had introduced him to Nice Senior during the school orientation.

The beautiful girl with long, straight black hair was Horikita Suzune, the one he had eavesdropped on a few days ago and whom Kushida viewed as a major threat.

At the same time, that gloomy guy Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and his own accomplice were standing nearby, trying to talk them down.

Seeing this, Uesugi Gen interjected with interest, "Whoa, I have to say, you guys really never learn. Your class points are still at negative 100, aren't they? And yet you're still trying to stir up trouble in the library."

"None of your business! Say one more word and see if I don't beat you up along with them."

Sudo Ken retorted loudly without a second thought, his voice echoing throughout the entire library.

In an instant, With a rustle, over thirty students from Class B nearby all stood up from their seats, watching Sudo Ken in silence.

All the boys from Class B left their seats and moved over, standing behind Uesugi Gen.

However, they didn't say a word, trusting that Uesugi Gen could handle the situation; they had simply come over to provide the necessary physical support.

Seeing this, Sudo Ken's voice dropped a few notches, "What do you think you're doing... I'm not afraid of you just because you're ganging up on me."

"You're overthinking it. Fighting is something for muscle-bound gorillas like you; a decent person like me wouldn't do such a thing."

Uesugi Gen replied with a grin, then shifted his tone, saying mockingly,