Classroom of the Elite, It's Not About Meritocracy, It's About Me Ruling the World!

Seeing that Morishita Ai's expression didn't look too good, Kijima Tsukur withdrew his hand:

"What are you doing here? You don't look so well."

"It's nothing."

Morishita Ai wore a pained expression:

"I just ate too much for lunch, and lying prone like this is so uncomfortable..."

"..."

It was indeed uncomfortable to lie prone like that after overeating. As for why she was lying prone instead of lying on her back or sitting, Kijima Tsukur didn't care, so he nodded and said:

"Then what is your reason for lying here?"

"To tell you the truth, I was waiting for you."

"I see... And then? Did you figure anything out?"

Kijima Tsukur stood up, not particularly surprised.

Perhaps it was a case of like attracting like; both he and Morishita Ai belonged to the category of weirdos.

But in reality, weirdos didn't exist; it was just that their perspectives were strange, and there was always some reason behind their actions.

He had been able to feel Morishita Ai intentionally getting closer to him since yesterday, and he could roughly guess the reason she was doing this.

A craving for validation!

Although they had only just met, it sounded ridiculous, but it was the truth!

It was like a detective who happened to appear at a crime scene, surely fantasizing at every moment that someone would listen to his deductions.

At the age of five.

Kijima Tsukur had also been ostracized for his strange behavior and had desperately sought validation from those around him; Morishita Ai was still stuck in that stage.

"Hmm... You don't seem surprised. We really are the same kind."

Morishita Ai was expressionless, yet her tone seemed somewhat happy. She stood on her tiptoes to gaze into Kijima Tsukur's pitch-black eyes and said to herself:

"However, this is the first time I've seen someone as dangerous as you. What on earth should I do?"

"Are you considering whether to follow me?"

"You knew?"

"I don't know the specifics yet, but naturally, the more people, the better."

Kijima Tsukur stuffed his hands into his pockets, looked down at Morishita Ai, who was a head shorter than him, and said indifferently:

"If you want to follow me, you must listen to my arrangements and obey me absolutely. If you do that, no matter what kind of predicament we face, there will be no enemy before us!"

"Yes-sir!"

Morishita Ai straightened her body, accentuating her small mounds, and pressed her right fingers against her temple to give a standard military salute.

"When you have time, you can communicate more with Yamamura. You will get what you want."

Leaving behind these words, Kijima Tsukur turned and walked away.

Morishita Ai lay back down on the bench, her right hand swaying gently as if rowing a boat, her slender fingers fiddling with the ground as she muttered to herself.

'I see... So this is what it feels like. It really is disgusting...'

It was exactly as Kijima Tsukur had surmised.

Since she was a child, Due to her overly keen insight, Morishita Ai could see through almost everyone at a glance. When she spoke the thoughts of others aloud, she was slowly alienated by those around her.

At the very beginning, Morishita Ai had indeed tried to change her ways.

But seeing friends who greeted her with smiles on the surface actually loathing her deep down made Morishita Ai feel incredibly disgusted. She would rather not have such fakes.

But until today, The reason she wanted to approach Kijima Tsukur, Was indeed to ensure she could stand on the side of the victor; Kijima Tsukur was the strongest existence she had ever seen.

And all these thoughts had been seen through by Kijima Tsukur.

Only at this moment did she experience the feeling of being seen through at a glance by someone else. It was truly nauseating, even to the point of feeling a sense of fear!

Having realized this, Morishita Ai inevitably thought of those friends from the past. No wonder they wanted to alienate a monster like her; it seemed she couldn't really blame them...

"Then... that guy..."

Morishita Ai lifted her delicate chin and glanced in the direction Kijima Tsukur had left.

Just like her lonely self, to what extent must the powerful Kijima Tsukur be lonely, and why was he able to face all of this so naturally...

It was as if they were two people sharing the same illness, Thinking of this, Morishita Ai couldn't help but feel a mix of pity and curiosity...

Forget it.

There's no point in dwelling on it.

At the very least, she had established an alliance with Kijima Tsukur today; as long as she followed his arrangements, she would surely be able to win any exam safely.

Kijima Tsukur was strong enough to make her feel that much at ease.

Thinking of this, Morishita Ai closed her beautiful eyes, a relieved smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she began her nap.

As for Yamamura Miki.

Although they had never spoken and had only met twice.

Morishita Ai's impression of her was merely that of someone with very low presence, and she didn't seem particularly strong either.

She had originally assumed Kijima Tsukur just wanted a servant who was easy to order around, but it seemed there was more to it than that.

To think that approaching Yamamura Miki would allow her to get what she wanted?

Thinking of Yamamura Miki's timid, insecure demeanor—the type who barely dared to refuse anything—Morishita Ai truly couldn't understand what redeeming qualities she could possibly have.

Forget it.

She would just treat it as a mission.

Since Kijima Tsukur asked her to interact with her more, she would do just that.

Chapter 13: Was I the One Who Was Wrong?

The first day of classes ended in such a relaxed atmosphere.

After school, Kijima Tsukur did not head to the gymnasium for the club orientation, but instead went straight to the Student Council room in the Special Building.

Yamamura Miki followed behind him, clutching a folding chair with a look of grievance on her face.

This was, naturally, at Kijima Tsukur's request; she had wanted to refuse firmly, but she simply lacked the courage to do so.

Thinking about having to follow him into the Student Council later, Yamamura Miki felt even more anxious.

What if, The upperclassmen asked her if she intended to join the Student Council, What should she do then?

Just thinking about it made Yamamura Miki feel so awkward she wanted to die.

Finally!

The fear of socializing with upperclassmen completely overwhelmed the shame of refusing Kijima Tsukur, and her voice trembled slightly:

"Um... Kijima-kun... are you planning to join the Student Council? Wouldn't it be better to go to the gymnasium after all?"

"Not sure, I'll see when I get there."

Kijima Tsukur walked ahead with his hands in his pockets:

"Besides, there are too many people at the gymnasium, which makes communication inconvenient. That's why I came straight to the Student Council; it's too late to go to the gym now anyway."

"I suppose that's true..."

Yamamura Miki felt awkward; she was still afraid of facing others, so she cautiously probed:

"Then, once we get to the Student Council, I'll be leaving."

"No."

Kijima Tsukur glanced back at the nervous Yamamura Miki:

"Just set the chair down when we get there and stand behind me. Don't worry about anyone else."

"Ugh..."

Damn it... why is this guy so overbearing?

Can't he tell that I don't want to go? Yamamura Miki thought, her face full of distress.

However, thinking that having someone in front to take the lead made it seem slightly less terrifying, she decided she would just hide behind Kijima Tsukur and push him forward if any questions arose.

The two walked up to the sixth floor where the Student Council was located.

From a distance, they could see the luxurious door at the end of the hallway with the sign "Student Council" on it, as well as two people standing at the entrance.

One of them was Katsuragi Kohei from Class A, along with a girl she had never seen before.

The girl's soft, golden-pink hair fell to her waist, her chest was exceptionally full, her slender waist was small enough to be held in one hand, and her long, shapely legs carried a hint of **.

Most importantly, she wore a bright and sweet smile, and just looking at her seemed to put one in a good mood.

Tap, tap, tap.

The two, who had been talking, were drawn by the sound of footsteps. Katsuragi Kohei looked toward the hallway, clearly surprised:

"Kijima-kun? What are you doing here?"

"Come to the Student Council to take a look."

Kijima Tsukur looked at the tightly shut doors and said directly, "Why aren't you two going in?"

"You?"

Katsuragi Kohei was slightly taken aback.

Thinking that Kijima Tsukur actually still wanted to join the Student Council, no matter how he looked at it, it felt rather tiresome.

"President Horikita told us to wait outside for a moment."

The girl standing to the side picked up the conversation, and upon feeling Kijima Tsukur's gaze, she revealed an energetic smile:

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ichinose Honami from Class 1-B. Are you both students from Class A?"

"Class 1-A, Kijima Tsukur."

Kijima Tsukur rubbed his chin as he observed her, feeling slightly surprised.

After all, even Katsuragi hadn't noticed Yamamura Miki standing behind him, yet this girl named Ichinose Honami had actually noticed her.

Of course, this didn't mean Ichinose's insight was stronger than Katsuragi's; it just meant she definitely cared more about the people around her than he did!

Yamamura Miki was also somewhat surprised, and she stammered in a low voice:

"Nice to meet you, I'm Yamamura Miki from Class 1-A. Please take care of me."

"Yamamura..."

Katsuragi Kohei finally reacted, his expression looking somewhat unnatural.

Failing to notice a classmate standing right in front of him was truly quite rude, though his attention was quickly drawn to the folding chair in Yamamura Miki's hand.

"What is this? Why did you bring a chair?"