Classroom of the Elite, It's Not About Meritocracy, It's About Me Ruling the World! Chapter 16

"Uh..." Yamamura Miki snuck a glance at Kijima Tsukur and whispered, "Kijima-kun asked me to help carry these, I'm not really sure myself."

"Uh..."

As soon as these words were spoken, Katsuragi Kohei looked at Kijima Tsukur, his brows furrowing slightly.

To call this bullying might be a bit of a stretch, but after observing them for the past two days, it was clear that Kijima Tsukur was indeed ordering Yamamura Miki around at will.

He certainly didn't want such bullying to occur in his class!

In any case, he had to offer a warning first.

"Kijima-kun."

Katsuragi Kohei crossed his arms over his chest, his tone carrying a hint of gravity:

"Yamamura-san looks like she's struggling to carry those. It would be better if you handled your own affairs from now on. I don't know about your past experiences, and perhaps you are indeed lacking in certain life skills, but if you need any help, you can come to me at any time."

Hm?

Ichinose Honami shifted her gaze back and forth between the three of them.

Katsuragi's words were tactful enough, and he had offered to provide help, but there was an underlying warning of 'stop bothering Yamamura.'

Could it be bullying?

For something like this to happen on only the second day of school would truly be a disaster for the class.

Yet, as she recalled Yamamura Miki's answer just now, it didn't seem like the kind of response one would expect from someone being bullied.

"Hm?"

Kijima Tsukur turned his head to look, noticing Yamamura Miki's slender arms trembling slightly.

For a girl, carrying a folding chair wasn't a huge deal, but carrying it for a long time would inevitably become strenuous.

From the school building to here, Yamamura Miki had been carrying it the entire way; it was only natural that her arms would feel sore, she just hadn't been comfortable saying so.

"Indeed..."

Kijima Tsukur was certainly not the type of person to be heartless, so he nodded and said:

"For a girl who isn't good at sports like you, it must be quite tiring to carry things for a long time. Sorry, I didn't consider that. Let's go buy a camping chair tomorrow; that way, it'll be easier for you to carry on your back."

Carry it yourself!

Yamamura Miki let out a soft, resentful "oh," though she nearly screamed the words in her heart.

She had been feeling happy at first, thinking Kijima Tsukur had finally learned to care about her, but who knew he would end up telling her to go buy a camping chair? What kind of person was he!

Ichinose Honami, standing to the side, also felt a bit awkward.

She really hadn't expected Kijima Tsukur to be so self-centered, thinking only of himself while acting as if it were perfectly natural.

However, Yamamura Miki's attitude also left her feeling confused, and for a moment, she didn't know what else to say.

"Then I'll take it; you can rest for a bit."

Katsuragi didn't know what else to say either, reaching out toward the folding chair in Yamamura Miki's hands:

"If you have any difficulties, you can discuss them with me at any time. I will never allow a classmate to be bullied."

"No need..."

Yamamura Miki shook her head and refused softly, taking half a step back while clutching the folding chair.

???

Katsuragi was completely bewildered, Large question marks flashing over his head.

What was going on?

I'm helping you, trying to keep you from being bullied, you know?

Refusing is one thing!

But to refuse even when I'm trying to help you carry your things because you're struggling?

Is she a masochist?

Could he have misunderstood?

Was this person willingly being ordered around by Kijima Tsukur, or had she developed feelings from being ordered around?

But how could that be possible?

It was only the second day of school; Kijima Tsukur and Yamamura Miki clearly didn't know each other.

Could this be the privilege of a handsome guy?

Katsuragi Kohei was completely baffled. Forget it, he would stay out of these two's business from now on.

Yamamura Miki also rolled her eyes; how could she possibly let Katsuragi help?

What if Katsuragi took the chair, and the Student Council seniors misunderstood her as someone there to join the Student Council?

Once she put the chair away, she would just be an inconspicuous little nobody.

By then, surely no one would bother with her!

Kijima Tsukur didn't care about her little schemes, turning his head to look at Ichinose and the other.

"Are you two looking to join the Student Council?"

"Yes, that's right."

Ichinose Honami answered frankly, "I only just learned that Katsuragi-kun also had experience with the Student Council; I originally thought I was the only one. By the way, I didn't seem to see you guys in the gymnasium earlier. Is Kijima-kun also here to join the Student Council?"

"Not sure yet, we just came over from our class."

"That's a real shame, you didn't see it earlier, but the Student Council President of this school is amazing. He stunned everyone in an instant, right, Katsuragi-kun?"

"Yes, indeed."

Katsuragi also nodded with a sense of reverence, sighing, "So this is what a high school Student Council President is like. Seeing him, I deeply feel that I still have many shortcomings."

"Is that the Horikita-kaicho you were talking about earlier?"

"Yes."

Kijima Tsukur observed the scene before him without any attempt at concealment.

Of the four people present, three were students from Class A, with only Ichinose Honami being a girl from Class B.

However, before anyone realized it.

Ichinose Honami had taken control of the conversation, and without ignoring the presence of Katsuragi, she was skillfully guiding everyone to keep the topic moving.

Unfortunately, it was still inevitable that Yamamura Miki was overlooked.

Just then, the door to the Student Council room was opened from the inside, and a girl with her hair tied in a purple bun appeared before them.

She wore a stern expression on her cute face, looking like a little girl intentionally trying to act like an adult.

Her gaze landed instantly on Kijima Tsukur, and she said with a serious face.

"Another one? Then I'll introduce myself briefly again. I am the Student Council Secretary, Tachibana Akane from Class 3-A. Everyone who wants to join the Student Council, come inside. Horikita-kaicho is waiting for you, and make sure you don't be rude."

Saying this, Tachibana Akane returned to the Student Council room, with Kijima Tsukur and the others following closely behind.

As expected, they forgot about her after all...

Even though all four of them were standing together, they didn't even notice her...

Yamamura Miki, carrying the folding chair, followed behind Kijima Tsukur, unsure whether to feel disappointed or relieved.

Chapter 14: Student Council

The door opened.

Ichinose Honami and Katsuragi Kohei followed into the Student Council room, and both of them were stunned.

What met their eyes was not the simple, modest Student Council room they were used to in middle school, but a polished solid wood desk that looked like the office of a corporate CEO.

Horikita Manabu sat behind the desk with a cold expression, while the desks next to him were occupied by two other boys. Tachibana Akane walked over and stood behind Horikita Manabu.

Regaining their composure, Ichinose Honami and Katsuragi Kohei stood a bit straighter, wanting to leave the best possible impression on their seniors.

"You..."

Horikita Manabu had his fingers interlaced under his chin and was just about to speak when he noticed Kijima Tsukur and Yamamura Miki following behind the two.

With a whoosh, Horikita Manabu stood up abruptly.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he stared at the approaching Kijima Tsukur with a look of utter astonishment.

The members of the Student Council immediately sensed that something was wrong; it was the first time they had ever seen Horikita Manabu lose his composure like this. A blond-haired boy tilted his head and laughed:

"Horikita-kaicho, what's wrong? An acquaintance?"

"N-nothing."

Horikita Manabu sat back down, his voice still trembling slightly.

Since he was a child, he had possessed a rather special ability; simply put, he could see things others couldn't and could roughly judge a person's strength based on the aura they emitted.

However, when Kijima Tsukur walked into the Student Council room.

It was as if a terrifying pressure had washed over him, and Horikita Manabu felt as though he were being crushed, unable to breathe. That was exactly why he had lost his composure.

It was the first time he had ever seen such terrifying strength.

It was stronger than any adult he had ever met!

He even began to wonder, Was the person in front of him even human?

In the past, no matter how powerful the enemy he faced—even those adults—Horikita Manabu had never felt that he would lose. Even if he couldn't win, he at least had the courage to put up a fight.

However, it was only today that he realized he had been too naive.

In front of the man before him.

Horikita Manabu did not even have the courage to fight.

The moment he saw Kijima Tsukur, Horikita Manabu knew he would undoubtedly lose; no matter what he did, it was impossible to reach this man.

However.

Horikita Manabu quickly composed himself, recalling the enrollment information for this man.

Class A, first-year, Kijima Tsukur.

He had achieved first place in the entrance exam with perfect scores in every subject, and his teacher's evaluation seemed to describe him as self-centered, caring only for himself and completely indifferent to the feelings of those around him.

Thinking of this, Horikita Manabu frowned imperceptibly.

Usually, such an evaluation would result in being placed in Class D, so how could he have been assigned to Class A? Yet, considering the strength he sensed from Kijima Tsukur, it didn't seem to be an issue.

Forget it, none of that mattered right now.

What mattered was what this man in front of him wanted.

To join the Student Council?

Thinking of this, Horikita Manabu glanced imperceptibly at the blond-haired man to his right, Vice President Nagumo Miyabi.

Due to differences in their political views, there had always been some friction between the two of them.

To be honest.

Horikita Manabu had always hoped to find someone with great strength to keep Nagumo Miyabi in check; if a capable person were to join the Student Council, it would naturally be a good thing.