Two Slots

Horikita Manabu looked at the first-year student standing before him. The fact that Hikaru had noticed the school's Deep Rules on his very first day and led his class in reclaiming their Private Points spoke volumes about his abilities.

If he went up against Nagumo, the results could be unexpected.

"So what do you want me to do, Horikita-senpai?"

Hashiba Hikaru stared into Horikita Manabu's eyes, wanting to know what exactly he expected him to do.

"Hmm..."

At the boy's question, Horikita Manabu turned to look at his younger sister. The girl wore a rather bewildered expression. As soon as their eyes met, she hurriedly asked,

"Brother, what do you want me to do?"

"..."

Horikita Manabu sighed. He hadn't come here today to force his sister to drop out because he truly disliked her. There was a deeper reason.

But he didn't want to explain it now. Instead, he planned to give her all the answers when he graduated.

"Hashiba-kun, what I want you to do isn't complicated. You've been taking the initiative ever since you enrolled, haven't you? I want you to bring Suzune along as you continue doing that, and make her understand where her shortcomings lie."2

"What do you think?"

At his words, both Hashiba Hikaru and Horikita Suzune immediately changed expressions.

The next moment, the girl cried out anxiously, "Brother, I don't need anyone's help. I'll make it to Class A by my own strength. Just wait and see..."

"No. I've made my decision. You don't get to choose."

Horikita Manabu's cold gaze swept over Horikita Suzune's face. He spoke slowly and emphatically. "You've always misunderstood what it means to be aloof and what it means to be lonely. That's why you can't recognize your own shortcomings."

"If you want to make it to Class A, you won't get there with your current abilities. Recognize that already!"

"..."

After her brother coldly rejected her once again, Horikita Suzune could only bite down hard on her lip and swallow the words she'd wanted to say.

"Hashiba-kun."

After silencing his sister, Horikita Manabu turned to the boy standing beside them, his tone serious. "Now that I've told you about Nagumo, you should understand why, right?"

"Hmm..."

Hashiba Hikaru thought it over briefly and quickly understood Horikita Manabu's intentions.

Once Miyabi Nagumo truly came to power, he would target the school's weaker students. The students in Class D would be the first in the firing line.

As her older brother, Horikita Manabu probably believed that Horikita Suzune wouldn't make it to Class A within two semesters. If so, her situation would become very difficult. After all, being assigned to Class D at the start of the school year naturally suggested that the girl had significant shortcomings.

"I think I understand how you feel, Horikita-senpai, but I doubt that's the whole story."

Hashiba Hikaru glanced at Horikita Suzune, then challenged Horikita Manabu. "If you want my help, don't keep me guessing."

"Heh. Of course, that isn't the whole reason."

Horikita Manabu was pleased that the boy had astutely figured out his intentions and, rather than blurting them out, had tactfully waited for him to explain.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he added, "Nagumo's ideas actually run counter to the school's founding purpose, which is to cultivate well-rounded, excellent students."

"Every student admitted here has been specially recommended. Regardless of their entrance exam results, once they receive a recommendation, they're admitted."

"Students with different qualities and different starting points are meant to work hard and challenge one another in this closed environment, ultimately becoming more well-rounded. That's what the school wants to see."

A serious light gleamed behind Horikita Manabu's glasses. He deeply agreed with the school's founding principles. That was why he had become Student Council President.

"If Nagumo carries out his own policies, they'll seriously derail the school's plans and destroy some students' potential."

"..."

So that was it. That was probably why Horikita Manabu had been fighting Nagumo all this time. After all, Nagumo was the legitimate Vice President of the Student Council, and without a special reason, Horikita Manabu couldn't do much about him.

Hearing her brother say all this, Horikita Suzune seemed to understand something.

She realized that this Nagumo was her brother's current enemy, and that he might endanger the other students at the school.

"So, what's your answer?"

After explaining, Horikita Manabu looked straight into Hashiba Hikaru's eyes. "You turned down joining the Student Council before. What about now? Are you still planning to refuse me?"

"No."

The boy shook his head. This information was important, and could help them take the initiative.

But if he was going to help, he ought to get something in return. Otherwise, he'd be losing out.

"I can agree to your request, Horikita-senpai, but what do I get out of it?"

Two Student Council Seats

"I can agree to your request, Horikita-senpai, but what do I get out of it?"

Horikita Manabu seemed to have expected this question. He immediately replied, "Tell me what you want."

Horikita Suzune, standing beside him, raised her head and stared straight at the boy.

Ever since she learned that her brother intended to have Hashiba help her, she'd been feeling conflicted.

She wanted to prove her abilities, but Horikita Manabu had flatly refused to let her. Now, hearing that Hashiba could even make demands of her brother, she found herself increasingly curious about him.

"Hmm... I was originally going to ask Horikita-senpai for Private Points," Hashiba Hikaru said with a smile, running a hand through his hair. "But then I thought about it. If I'm only collecting points, it seems like a bit of a raw deal."

"Isn't your Class B collecting points right now? This is a great opportunity. Why change your mind?"

"It's simple. Since Horikita-senpai trusts me enough to ask me to help Horikita-san make it to Class A, I can't let you down." The boy smiled warmly and continued, "If I just take points, it'll be nothing more than a straightforward transaction."

"That's not what I like. I'd rather we help each other out."

"Heh. So what do you want?" Horikita Manabu studied Hashiba Hikaru's face, unable to tell what the boy was thinking.

"I can help Horikita-san grow in the future, but Horikita-senpai has to give me two slots." Hashiba Hikaru held up two fingers. "Two slots in the Student Council."

"Oh? I thought you didn't want to join the Student Council."

"Not for me. I'll find two suitable candidates and have them apply to the Student Council. When they do, Horikita-senpai must let them join unconditionally. And once they're in, you can't make things difficult for them."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled, his tone light. "What do you think? Can you agree to that, Horikita-senpai?"

"..."

The bespectacled man considered it carefully before making his decision.

"Fine. Give me their names, and I'll have Tachibana Akane keep an eye out for them."

Horikita Manabu nodded, accepting the request. Then he added, "If you reach into the Student Council now, you might alert Nagumo."

"That's fine. We'll have to face him sooner or later anyway. If his goal is to put the idea of true meritocracy into practice, then we juniors have no choice but to meet the challenge."

Hashiba Hikaru shrugged, as if it made no difference to him.

"Then it's settled."

Seeing how relaxed the boy was, Horikita Manabu said no more. Instead, he turned to the black-haired girl beside him.

"Suzune, exchange contact information with Hashiba-kun."

"..."

Horikita Suzune wasn't very familiar with Hashiba Hikaru, but since her brother had said so, she had little choice. She walked over, took out her phone, and exchanged numbers with the boy.

Once they were done, Horikita Manabu looked at his stubborn younger sister, his tone softening slightly.

"Suzune, if you're so determined to catch up with me, then show me what you can do." The man pushed his glasses up his nose and addressed the girl. "Hashiba-kun will support you. If you can make it to Class A before I graduate, I'll recognize your abilities."

"I..."

"Don't refuse other people's help. Hashiba-kun noticed something was wrong with the school on his very first day. That kind of talent is unprecedented among the students who came before him."

Horikita Manabu knew what his sister was thinking. He spoke unhurriedly. "That's why I'm asking him to help you. You have too many shortcomings right now, and ability is only one of them."

"I'm not asking Hashiba-kun to be your lackey or bodyguard. You can discuss any plans with him as time goes on, but how he chooses to help you is entirely up to him."

"I understand. I'll work hard. I'll make sure you see how much I've improved, Brother!"

Horikita Suzune nodded firmly. If her brother was willing to give her a chance, of course she wouldn't refuse.

"Hashiba-kun." Seeing that his sister had accepted the arrangement, Horikita Manabu turned to the boy beside him. "Your goal is to lead your Class B toward Class A, isn't it? You can give Suzune a hand along the way and help her understand where she's falling short."

"Don't worry, Horikita-senpai. Since you agreed to my request, I won't break our deal."

Hashiba Hikaru held up his phone and addressed the man in front of him. "Let's exchange contact information. Once I've settled on the two candidates, I'll send you their names."

"Sure."

Horikita Manabu nodded and exchanged numbers with Hashiba Hikaru. Seeing this, Horikita Suzune felt even more certain that there was something extraordinary about Hashiba-kun.

Horikita Suzune had witnessed the entire meeting. At the beginning, her brother had clearly been in control, but as time passed, she realized that the boy had taken charge of the conversation, actively steering it along.

"Let's call it a day. You can head back to the dorms. I have things to take care of, so I'll be going."

After saying this, Horikita Manabu left without a backward glance, disappearing into the darkened school grounds.

"Horikita-san, I look forward to working with you," Hashiba Hikaru said warmly, showing his goodwill toward the girl beside him.

"Hashiba-kun, when did you and Bro... I mean, when did you and President Horikita meet?" Horikita Suzune brushed back her long, ink-black hair and studied the boy's face.

"Hmm, it must have been after school started. We ran into each other on the sports field."

Hashiba Hikaru knew what she was thinking and quickly picked up the conversation. "Since your goal is to make it to Class A, I'll support you from the sidelines."

"But you should know that I'm currently in Class B, so I can't openly help an enemy class. We'll keep in touch by phone." The boy explained slowly, "If anything happens, you can message me, and I'll tell you what I think."

"If something particularly troublesome comes up, I'll find a chance to meet you in person, but we should keep those meetings to a minimum."

"I... understand."

The girl nodded, though she wasn't really keen on messaging a boy she'd only just met. She didn't have any experience texting friends, either.

"Heh, don't think you can just never message me," Hashiba Hikaru said with a grin, giving his phone a little wave. "I just exchanged contact information with Horikita-senpai. If you never message me..."

"I'll... You get it, right?"

"..."

This guy!

Horikita Suzune gritted her teeth. She hadn't expected the boy who'd just matched her brother's presence to reveal such a nasty side of himself so soon.

"If I have a problem, I'll tell you directly. You can count on me, Hashiba-kun!"

"That's more like it. We're allies now, so let's work together from here on, Horikita-san."

"Yes, Hashiba-kun."

Horikita Suzune shot the boy, still grinning, a venomous glare, then turned and hurried away, as if she didn't want to stay there another second.

"Tch. What an unpleasant girl."

Hashiba Hikaru opened his phone. He'd had a very productive day. He'd added four people's numbers at once.

Hirata Yosuke, Kushida Kikyo, Horikita Suzune, and Horikita Manabu.

They were all potential sources of information, and he needed to make good use of them.

Hashiba Hikaru had asked for those two Student Council seats because he already had one good candidate in mind. He'd see how things went when he had a chance to talk with the other person.

After all, he'd just spent fifty thousand in system funds. It would be a waste if he didn't make a huge profit, wouldn't it?

Author's Note

As the title says, this book will be released tomorrow.

The reason I started writing this Classroom of the Elite story was simply that I'd run out of things to read, so I wanted to write a novel I'd enjoy myself.

The premiere of the third season of the Classroom of the Elite anime seemed like a good opportunity. After all, the anime changed quite a bit from the original. If they can ignore the source material, so can I (not really).

There are plenty of great Classroom of the Elite fanfics, but it's unusual to see one start in Class B. Class B is an excellent group, yet they keep getting the short end of the stick in the story. I found that a little hard to accept. Something like that, anyway.

I wrote this book to express some of my own ideas. I'm very much a harem fan, and the inspiration came from a book I'd read before. It happened to fit what I had in mind, so I started writing.

Thanks, everyone, for your support since I started this book. I've really enjoyed reading your discussions about the plot in the comments. After all, most people here are fans of Classroom of the Elite, and so am I.

As for a few questions from readers, I'll answer them briefly here.

First, this book will definitely have a harem. All the heroines who should be involved will make their appearances. They're all charming, and as they spend more time with the protagonist, they'll gradually be drawn to him and eventually realize how they feel.