In Classroom of the Elite, Ichinose You Will Regret It

Ichinose said, "Although I have many acquaintances, I serve in Class B, and there are truly many heroes in this world whom I have yet to know."

Uesugi Gen said, "If you do not know their faces, you have at least heard their names."

Ichinose said, "Katsuragi Kohei of Class A, with ample private funds, steady in his actions, and orderly in his advance and retreat—can he be called a hero?"

Uesugi Gen looked up and laughed loudly, saying, "Katsuragi Kohei values defense over offense, acts rigidly, and lacks flexibility. Those under him are mostly arrogant and conceited; he is nothing but a dried bone in a graveyard, and sooner or later, I shall capture him."

At this moment, a hairless brute sitting next to Uesugi Gen paused after hearing this, hurriedly grabbed his subordinate who wanted to go seek revenge, and then continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Although the words were a bit harsh, what Uesugi Gen said seemed mostly correct; besides, he wanted to hear how he would evaluate Sakayanagi.

Immediately after.

Ichinose said, "Sakayanagi Arisu of Class A, daughter of the board director, with many old retainers, now entrenched in Kōiku, with many capable subordinates under her command and superior strategy—can she be called a hero?"

Uesugi Gen laughed and said, "Sakayanagi Arisu is fond of plotting but physically weak; she looks down on her subordinates and ignores their wishes. In the end, she will lose the hearts of Class A and be abandoned by those around her. She is no hero."

Kamuro, a follower of Sakayanagi who was eating nearby, nodded frequently with an expressionless face; what he said made so much sense, and she expressed that she hoped Sakayanagi would meet her comeuppance sooner rather than later.

Ichinose pondered for a long time and said, "There is a man in Class C named Kakeru, whose prestige shakes his class, and his subordinates are all delinquents. Can Ryuen Kakeru be called a hero?"

Uesugi Gen replied, "Ryuen Kakeru uses cruel methods, has a bottom line that is too low, and likes to defeat others with underhanded tricks. However, he will eventually reap what he sows. He is no hero."

A certain red-haired delinquent leader sitting behind Uesugi Gen had veins bulging on his forehead.

Fine, Uesugi Gen, you bastard. You played dirty last time and set me up, making me blow in the wind behind the gymnasium for an entire night, almost catching a cold.

Damn it! Now you're turning around and saying I have a low bottom line? How can you be so shameless?

Ichinose said, "There is one person, gentle in temperament, currently residing at the head of Class D, Hirata Yosuke. Can he be called a hero?"

Uesugi Gen said disdainfully, "Hirata Yosuke has a weak heart. He is no hero."

Hirata Yosuke, sitting by the window, wore a bitter smile.

Ichinose said again, "Horikita Suzune of Class D, beautiful in appearance, learned in the classics, and possessing extraordinary skills—can she be called a hero?"

Uesugi Gen said, "Horikita, although the sister of the Student Council President, is rigid in nature and reckless in action, possessing the spirit of a man. She is too arrogant to work with others and has no trustworthy subordinates. How can she be worthy of the name of a hero!"

Her fists were clenched; Miss Horikita's fists were clenched.

Clearly, the comments for the others were just simple evaluations, so why did he have to add his own personal bias for her? What does 'rigid in nature, reckless in action, possessing the spirit of a man' mean? Isn't that just calling her a tomboy?

I can't take it. I'll send him a message later to question him.

Finally.

Ichinose said, "What of the likes of Kushida Kikyo, Koenji Rokusuke, and Kanzaki Ryuji?"

Uesugi Gen clapped and laughed loudly, "These mediocre people, why are they worth mentioning!"

Kushida, who was sitting with Miss Horikita, showed an awkward but polite smile, which turned gloomy in the blink of an eye.

Fine, you just wait for me. I'll go call and harass you later. We're clearly on the same side, yet you only gave me such a short paragraph. It's a full 48 characters less than that bitch Horikita!!!

Koenji Rokusuke was enjoying his grand meal as if everyone else was invisible.

No one can define my beauty, because I... am beauty itself.

However.

The others dared not make a move against Uesugi Gen, but Kanzaki Ryuji next door would not indulge him; he stood up and was about to walk toward Uesugi Gen's seat.

People from other classes are one thing, but I am from Class B. What do you mean by 'mediocre people'? Without me, you'd still be holed up in the dormitory playing games, okay?

Of course.

Playing games isn't bad, but being the vice-representative of Class B can open up a much wider world.

"Kanzaki, Kanzaki, calm down. He's just getting a bit carried away. It'll be fine in a moment. Ichinose is still there; she will definitely protect him. You won't be able to hit him."

Shibata Hayate, who was on the side, hurriedly lowered his voice and stood up to stop him.

Ichinose said, "Apart from these, I truly do not know."

Uesugi Gen laughed again and said, "A hero is one who harbors great ambitions, possesses brilliant strategies, has the capacity to contain the universe, and the will to swallow the heavens and the earth."

Ichinose asked curiously, "Who can be worthy of this?"

Uesugi Gen pointed at Ichinose with his finger, then pointed at himself, and said, "In this world, the only heroes are you and me!"

Upon hearing this, Ichinose was startled, and the knife and fork she was holding fell to the ground.

"..."

Everyone present was so angry they laughed.

After all that, he spent all that time saying a bunch of things just to use them as stepping stones to brag about himself.

It was unbearable; there was no need to endure it any longer.

"You've gone too far! Uesugi Gen, you bastard, I've endured you for a long time."

Ryuen Kakeru, who was on the side, slammed the table and stood up, leading his subordinates to storm toward Uesugi Gen aggressively.

Uesugi Gen glanced at Ryuen Kakeru.

"What is it? So it's just Second-Ryuen. Is there something you need from me?"

Ryuen Kakeru sneered mockingly.

"I'm different from those pieces of trash. They don't dare to talk back when provoked, but I, Ryuen Kakeru, am not like that. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—that is my way."

And so, following Uesugi Gen, Ryuen Kakeru immediately unleashed an AOE attack on the entire room, successfully sharing the aggro that had been focused on Uesugi Gen.

Damn it, I can't take this!

The students from Class A and Class D glared in fury upon hearing Ryuen's words, standing up and walking toward them.

"Sho, eavesdropping on others is a sign of poor upbringing. I know you haven't read many books, so I'll forgive you this once."

Uesugi Gen waved his hand with great magnanimity, signaling that he could leave now.

"..."

What kind of "turning the tables and shifting the blame" was this? If it weren't for the fact that a special exam was coming up, Ryuen Kakeru would have wanted to strangle this guy right on the spot.

"Empty words are useless. Everything will be decided by our own hands."

A calm voice cut in as Katsuragi Kohei looked toward Uesugi Gen.

"You must be the Vice President of the Student Council, Uesugi Gen. You are truly a mysterious person, but mystery aside, Class A, as the superior class, will absolutely not lose to you."

"That is exactly what I was going to say. You all better watch closely; I will definitely defeat you in the upcoming special exam and climb to Class A step by step."

Horikita Suzune rubbed her arm in an unnatural posture, proudly declaring her philosophy to the entire room.

Hearing the successive declarations from Class A and Class D, Ryuen Kakeru was not to be outdone. He extended his palm, pointed his thumb sharply downward, and faced the crowd.

"Whether it's you, Horikita Suzune, or Katsuragi Kohei of Class A."

Ryuen Kakeru paused, his tone filled with gnashing teeth.

"And you, you bastard Uesugi, you all better wash your necks and wait. I will crush you one by one."

Seeing this scene, Uesugi Gen's eyes lit up.

Oh, how interesting. They are all making threats; I should join in too.

"You guys—mmph!"

Ichinose covered Uesugi Gen's mouth with her hand.

"Uesugi-kun, let's go back. Don't say anything more."

"Mmph?"

"Mmph!!!"

Ignoring Uesugi Gen's struggles, the students of Class B dragged him away.

If they didn't take him away now, this place would probably turn into a classroom of survival of the fittest by force in a moment.

53

Chapter 53: Uesugi Gen, the silver-tongued liar.

Uesugi: [Hey, I noticed your state seemed a bit off earlier. Are you not feeling well?]

Horikita: [That's none of your business. It's just a cold. Also, what did you mean by that earlier? Calling me a tomboy!]

Uesugi: [Don't worry about the small details. It's best to see a doctor if you're sick, you know.]

Horikita: [This type of cold will naturally get better if I just rest in my room. I'm not the type of person who likes to waste time on such indulgences.]

Uesugi: [But... there's a special exam coming up soon. If you collapse, Class D will be out of the game immediately. (Laughs)]

Horikita: [??? What do you mean by that? Explain yourself, hey!]

Uesugi: [To think you were copying Ryuen and the others with those threats earlier, yet you didn't see anything at all? (Stifling laughter)]

Horikita: [Tell me about the special exam!]

Uesugi: Read but not replied.

Horikita: [Hey! Uesugi Gen, answer my message!]

Uesugi: Read but not replied.

Watching the barrage of messages, a playful smile appeared on Uesugi Gen's face.

Horikita-san is truly stubborn in a cute way regarding this. Even though she acted so cold and indifferent at the beginning.

Oh, here it comes.

A sharp ringtone echoed. Unable to wait for a reply from Uesugi Gen, Horikita Suzune had called him directly.

If The Accomplice Lady saw this, she would probably cry with envy.

Uesugi Gen didn't answer the phone immediately, intending to let it ring for a while longer.

You're usually the one leaving others hanging; now you're the one getting anxious, aren't you?

After the phone rang for another dozen seconds, Uesugi Gen leisurely tapped the answer button and quickly held the phone away from his ear.

"Hello, Uesugi Gen, which dormitory are you in? I'm coming over to find you right now!"

Horikita Suzune's urgent voice came through the phone.

Uesugi Gen felt a bit helpless; why was this girl so stubborn?

"Look, Horikita-san, if you're sick, you shouldn't be running around. Just listen to me, go see a doctor, or stay in your dorm and rest properly. Those were your own words."

"How could I possibly have the mood to rest at a time like this? What conditions do I need to agree to for you to tell me the specific intel?"

"I'm telling you, why are you so stubborn? If you collapse, given the current situation of Class D, the special exam might as well be declared over right now. Why not get your physical condition back in order before participating in the exam?"

"You wouldn't understand these things. I must—"

"If you keep this up, I'm just going to call your brother."

Uesugi Gen pulled out his trump card directly, the specialized anti-Horikita Suzune weapon.

"I... I understand. I will go back to the dorm and rest properly. You... you are not allowed to tell my brother about this."

The voice coming from the phone was filled with Horikita Suzune's reluctance and a hint of humiliation.

Uesugi Gen scratched his head. Why did it sound like I was bullying her? I have a feeling that if I let The Accomplice Lady hear this, she would fly into a rage.

"No... not just go back to the dorm to rest, but go straight to the doctor to get medicine. Take it immediately after you get it, and then find a place to hide the rest so you can sneak into the special exam location. Do you understand?"

"I understand. I will do as you say. The exam intel..."

"That, naturally, doesn't exist. If you don't agree, I'll just tell your brother. Let's see what you can do about that."

"You... you have no integrity!"

"Huh? Horikita-san, what on earth gave you the reason to think I would tell you the special exam intel? Our two classes are in a competitive relationship."

"You—"

"Anyway, that's that. Go see a doctor immediately, over!"

Uesugi Gen hung up the phone with a swift motion and let out a long sigh.