In Classroom of the Elite, Ichinose You Will Regret It

Uesugi Gen turned to Himeno Yuki and extended his invitation with a smile.

"Let's go, Himeno-san."

Chapter 8: Friends

[The latest Mechanic Generation 9 game controller features a truly ingenious design. With a red and black color scheme, it improves upon traditional precision and includes a detachable magnetic shell for customizable joysticks.]

You can take this game controller home for just 15,000 points.

Staring at the exaggerated advertisement, Uesugi Gen sneered.

Who would be stupid enough to spend that many points on a game controller when there's one right next to it for 2,000 points?

I'll take it!

Five minutes later, amidst the shop clerk's "thank you for your patronage," Uesugi Gen walked out of the electronics store with a gloomy expression, clutching the box.

If this thing doesn't work well, I'll use my authority as vice president to put this store out of business tomorrow.

"Hey, is it really okay for you to spend points like that? You know we won't be getting that many points next month, so you should be saving them."

Himeno Yuki, who had been following behind Uesugi Gen, offered a well-meaning reminder.

"What's this? Himeno-san, you're still here? Didn't you say you liked being alone?"

"Even if I like being alone, there's a limit, okay? And is it really okay to just walk away like that?"

Himeno Yuki squinted at him, annoyed. After he'd dragged her out of the KTV, he'd just left her standing there.

Then, he'd been distracted by the electronics store on the side of the road and rushed in without looking back. Seriously, is this guy a child or what?

Seeing the pout on Himeno Yuki's face, Uesugi Gen reassured her.

"It won't be a problem. Generally speaking, at class gatherings, they only check if everyone is present at the very beginning. No one will notice if one or two people go missing halfway through."

"If you still want to avoid gatherings in the future and need some private space, just tell Kanzaki like you did this time. Even if he doesn't approve, he'll understand."

"Otherwise, you'll just feel uncomfortable at every gathering from now on, and that's not good for your health."

Listening to Uesugi Gen's lecture, Himeno Yuki felt a bit irritable and shouted at him as if venting.

"Of course I know that, but it takes a lot of courage to do something like that. I'm not like you—even if you don't show up, you still have two friends there to cover for you."

After shouting that, Himeno Yuki realized she had lost her composure.

"Sorry..."

"I see. In that case,"

Uesugi Gen reached out to Himeno Yuki in a friendly manner and said gently, "Himeno Yuki-san, would you like to be friends with me? And while you're at it, be friends with Shibata and Kanzaki too. They won't alienate you for skipping gatherings, so next time, you can just have them cover for you."

"Because I won't be going to the next gathering, so I can't help you like this every time."

"...You jerk."

Himeno Yuki looked at the boy who had extended his hand to her, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

After a long moment, she extended her own hand and said with a haughty air, "Forget it. I'm not going to the next gathering either, just like you, so there's no need to trouble them."

Uesugi Gen firmly grasped Himeno Yuki's hand.

"That makes us friends, then."

Having officially become friends, the two went to the supermarket together, intending to buy some daily necessities.

"Though, I didn't notice it when we first came in, but it seems like many of the daily necessities here have a free section."

Uesugi Gen picked up a bottle of shampoo from the side and examined it closely.

Just looking at the packaging, he knew the quality couldn't be very good.

He then tossed two bottles of shampoo and body wash into his shopping basket. Freebies make me happy.

"You really are strange. You spend so many points on a game controller, yet you're unwilling to spend a few points on better shampoo and body wash."

Looking at Uesugi Gen's basket, Himeno Yuki said, puzzled.

Uesugi Gen rolled his eyes.

"I'm a guy. As long as I can get clean, why would I need to smell fancy?"

"However, the sheer number of free items also reflects the fact that the personal points we receive next month might not be very high."

Himeno Yuki looked around the shopping area, her tone serious.

Uesugi Gen said with some surprise, "Himeno-san, I didn't realize you were actually quite smart."

"Hey, there's a limit to how much you can look down on people, you know. I did, after all, pass the entrance exam for Kōiku fair and square."

Himeno Yuki glared at Uesugi Gen, who was looking at her with a smirk.

"Yes, yes, Himeno-san is very smart."

"Excuse me, are you two a couple?"

A pleasant voice drifted from behind Uesugi Gen. Her short brown hair swayed slightly, catching the light and casting a soft, radiant glow over the girl.

Uesugi Gen and Himeno Yuki exchanged a glance.

Your friend?

How could that be? I thought she was your friend?

Then you handle it. I'm not used to these situations.

The somewhat socially anxious Himeno Yuki took two steps back, hiding behind Uesugi Gen.

Hey, if you're socially anxious, don't you think I am too? Uesugi Gen complained to himself.

Uesugi Gen waved his hand at the girl, his mind elsewhere.

"No, we're just friends who just met, out shopping at the supermarket together."

"Then, would you mind if I became your friend too? My wish is to become friends with every student in the first year."

The girl pressed her hands together and walked slowly toward Uesugi Gen, leaning forward slightly in a way that perfectly accentuated her well-developed curves, constantly closing the distance between them.

At the same time, as the distance closed, Uesugi Gen caught a whiff of a fragrant scent from her hair and felt the visible softness of the girl's body... Is this girl's body made of cotton candy?

Coupled with the girl's sparkling eyes, Uesugi Gen couldn't help but take a few steps back.

"My name is Kushida Kikyo. May I know your name?"

"Of course, my name is Uesugi Gen. Nice to meet you."

"Not at all, I'm the one who needs your guidance, Uesugi-kun. I heard that we aren't allowed to contact the outside world for three years at this school. Being away from home for so long for the first time makes me feel a bit lonely."

"Yeah, the rules of this school are a bit strange. By the way, what class are you in, Kushida-san?"

"I'm in Class D. What about you, Uesugi-kun?"

Kushida Kikyo stepped forward again, reclaiming the distance Uesugi Gen had just created.

This is bad. What is up with this girl? Most people keep a certain distance from someone they just met; they wouldn't be so eager to close the gap. And yet, it's hard to refuse her. This girl is probably the type I'm not good at dealing with.

"I'm in Class B, I think. Anyway, it's getting late, and we have things to do, so let's stop chatting for now. Maybe another time."

With that, ignoring Kushida Kikyo's repeated attempts to keep them there, Uesugi Gen pulled Himeno Yuki along and quickly fled under Kushida Kikyo's gaze.

"Phew~ Should I call that strong social skills or just a persistent personality? She insisted on being friends with us even though she knew we were a bit reluctant."

Himeno Yuki stood to the side, holding her knees and panting heavily.

"Yeah, she's a strange person."

Uesugi Gen let out a long breath, his eyes darkening. That pretty girl seemed to have some ulterior motive for approaching them.

Ever since he and Himeno-san had become "friends," her gaze had been fixed on them. She had followed them all the way to the supermarket and only came out to speak to them once they stopped to discuss shampoo.

Kushida Kikyo from Class D. Based on the information provided by the "good guy" upperclassman, if the students in Class D weren't of particularly poor quality, they must have some major flaw to be placed there. Judging by the girl's social skills, she clearly didn't fall into the category of being particularly low-quality.

To be so obsessive about making friends—that student's mental state might be a bit off.

After watching Kushida Kikyo leave from the corner, the two walked around for a while longer before heading back to their respective dorms.

Inside Dorm 404, Uesugi Gen had just finished assembling the computer he had just purchased.

Uesugi Gen rubbed his hands together, his eyes gleaming.

"I'm coming to save you, Azeroth."

Chapter 9: How Annoying

On the second day of school, Kanzaki Ryuji fell into a deep state of self-doubt.

As an elite student who had received a top-tier education from a young age, Kanzaki Ryuji always held himself to extremely high standards.

A ninety-nine percent employment and university acceptance rate meant incredibly strict classroom discipline and a high level of instruction; he was well aware of this.

Therefore, he arrived at the classroom early in the morning to preview the day's lessons.

Once everything was prepared, Kanzaki Ryuji sat quietly in the classroom, ready to witness the brilliant techniques of the teachers at Advanced Nurturing.

Two periods later, Kanzaki Ryuji stared blankly at his textbook, which was filled with notes, then turned to look at his friend, who had slept through both classes without even taking out a pen.

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

This was Advanced Nurturing. Advanced Nurturing, with educational resources that were the best in all of Tokyo; Advanced Nurturing, with a ninety-nine percent university and employment rate.

But why were the teachers here completely ignoring the students, performing a solo act on the podium as if they were the only ones in the room?

This was completely different from what he had imagined.

"Is this really a high school with national backing?"

With that, Kanzaki Ryuji issued a soul-searching question regarding the classroom atmosphere.

"Who knows? Maybe they're just a bunch of old office slackers who only care about their paychecks and don't want to deal with anything."

Uesugi Gen replied casually, then leaned back in his chair and pulled a textbook over his face to pretend to nap.

"By the way, Uesugi, did you not sleep well last night? You've been dozing off since the first period."

Shibata, who was sitting at the desk behind him, asked with some curiosity.

"Yeah, because I didn't sleep at all. I bought a new game yesterday and pulled an all-nighter playing it."

A muffled voice came from beneath the textbook.

"I'm telling you, even if the school atmosphere is pretty relaxed, you shouldn't just give up like this," Kanzaki Ryuji advised, but then he changed the subject. "I still think there's something wrong here."

This guy was already starting to get hung up on it.

A can of coffee was passed over from the desk in front of Uesugi Gen and placed on his table.

Himeno Yuki rested her fair, delicate cheek on one hand and said helplessly.

"Honestly, drink this to wake yourself up. I'm worried you'll just fall asleep this afternoon looking like that."

"Thanks, Himeno."

Uesugi Gen moved the textbook aside and took a sip of the coffee.

"I still feel like something is off. Before we know more, it's better to be cautious and follow the school rules."

Kanzaki Ryuji persisted and emphasized it once more.

"Hey, Kanzaki, does your family run a company?"

Uesugi Gen decided to give him a hint; otherwise, he might really get obsessed, keep digging into this issue, and go off to investigate.

But without a specific direction, he couldn't just investigate everything. What if he actually managed to find something?