Classroom of the Elite: The Strength-Based Classroom of Kageya Shinjitsu

Classroom of the Elite: Kageya Shinjitsu's Meritocracy. Author: Jian Dan De Shuo

[I felt like the COTE fandom was dying down, so I decided to write my own. The protagonist has a somewhat twisted, pathological, and egoistic personality. I'm not sure how the audience will react to the reason he was assigned to Class D, but if you're interested, please show your support. If the stats look good, I'll keep writing.]

Kageya Shinjitsu was admitted to Advanced Nurturing High School due to his unique background.

Enrolling as a student in Class D, Kageya Shinjitsu discovered the strange nature of this school.

He began to dig deeper and understand the school, gradually learning about its meritocratic rules.

The protagonist is unaware of the COTE plot and explores it on his own.

He does not fawn over Ayanokoji.

Chapter 1: Kageya Shinjitsu, Enrollment

April, the start of the school year. A refreshing, clear-skied, and beautiful day.

Today was the day of the entrance ceremony for Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School.

Advanced Nurturing High School is an extremely unique institution. It is not only a boarding school, but it also mandates a three-year stay, meaning students cannot see their families for three years. For the average student, this would be torture. Furthermore, outsiders are not allowed to enter the school without a special reason, so there is no hope of family members coming to visit.

The reason such a school exists, and is even sought after by many, is because it boasts a 100% rate of advancement to higher education and employment. On top of that, it waives all tuition and living expenses—things that many people desperately crave.

And it was to this very school that Kageya Shinjitsu secured a spot.

Leaving home and arriving at the designated location, Kageya Shinjitsu witnessed the sheer wealth of the school.

The school wasn't even on the mainland; it was built on an artificial island connected to the mainland. One had to cross two long bridges to reach it, and there were vast areas beyond that whose purposes were unknown. Everything about this extravagant and decadent display was overwhelming.

Entering the artificial island of Advanced Nurturing High School, Kageya Shinjitsu stepped onto the bus that would take him to the campus. He still felt a lingering sense of unreality.

This school seems a bit absurd, doesn't it? And they actually recruited a student like me? Aren't they afraid of what I might do?

At the same time, his mind recalled his mother's earnest plea before he left.

"Little Shinjitsu, please don't go getting into any more strange trouble. While I understand that at your age you have all sorts of heroic fantasies, getting into fights with those delinquents is just too terrifying. You have to think about your mother. If something happens to you, what are we supposed to do???"

"I don't ask for much. Just finish these three years of school honestly. I'd even accept it if you started a puppy-love relationship, but please, please, please, do not get into any more fights."

Important things must be said three times. Kageya Shinjitsu's mother had emphasized this many times before he left, likely because the events of a while ago had truly frightened them.

Not long ago, just before graduation, he had experienced a social death. Although he didn't care much about "social death" himself, it had caused quite a stir within his middle school, nearly preventing him from entering high school and almost landing him in a detention center.

'If I mess around at school again this time, I probably won't have a school to attend at all.'

'That kind of thing is really a tall order. I wonder what my new classmates will be like? Will they bully me? It feels so scary. If I don't fight back, the difficulty level is just too high. Mom really likes to make things hard for people.'

'Doesn't she know that young people can never control their tempers? People can't help themselves when they encounter certain things, especially the young. If you aren't hot-blooded, are you even young?'

'But I can't ignore my mother's request. I'll just have to minimize it. As long as it's not particularly excessive or absolutely necessary, I won't fight. And even if I do, I can't leave any evidence behind.'

'From now on, I'll try my best to be an unremarkable, honest high school student. I look forward to my new school life.'

'I hope I don't cause my family any more worry.'

'Maybe I could try a puppy-love relationship if I can?'

'Wasn't that part of my mother's request?'

'It looks like Mom is already impatient to be a grandmother? She seems even more anxious than I am?'

'Ugh~~ Is romance something a high schooler must have? It sounds like such a hassle. Won't women just slow down the speed at which I become stronger?'

Sitting on the bus, Kageya Shinjitsu let his thoughts wander.

Regarding his future campus life, he felt a mix of anticipation—anticipation for the beautiful, and anticipation for bullying and being bullied.

He was conflicted...

At this moment, the bus slowly came to a stop, and the doors opened.

New passengers boarded—men and women, young and old. There were students, of course, and quite a few office workers.

The most conspicuous was an elderly woman who walked on shakily, swaying as if she might fall at any moment.

The other students behind her watched cautiously, fearing that the old woman might fall and cause a scene.

The people already seated on the bus didn't look at the old woman; they didn't want to invite any trouble and had no intention of giving up their seats.

Seeing the old woman board, Kageya Shinjitsu stood up without a moment's hesitation.

"Please, sit here."

Before the old woman had even found a steady place to stand, he had already risen and spoken.

Perhaps because speaking up so suddenly easily attracts attention, Kageya Shinjitsu keenly felt several gazes upon him.

The most prominent ones came from a boy and girl with black hair, a boy and girl with blonde hair, and several adults.

Beyond those, the other gazes held a sense of, "Who is this young man?" or "You're super brave, huh."

"Thank you, student."

"Thank you so, so much."

"I'm old, and my body just can't stand steady anymore. Sorry to trouble you, young student."

The old lady looked over in surprise, offering a faint smile and repeated thanks.

She walked over unsteadily and sat down in the seat Kageya Shinjitsu had just vacated.

"Don't mention it."

Kageya Shinjitsu replied with a polite, expressionless remark.

After giving up his seat, he moved away from the spot.

He stood a little further off.

That had just been a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

"Excuse me, fellow student, are you a freshman too?"

Just as Kageya Shinjitsu found a place to stand, a cute girl with short blonde hair and a generous figure approached him, speaking with a sweet smile.

Her physique, which was several sizes larger than that of the other students in the same grade, carried a formidable sense of pressure.

"I'm Kushida Kikyo, a freshman this year. Nice to meet you."

As she drew closer, Kageya Shinjitsu could clearly feel the number of gazes directed at him increasing.

Being approached by a cute girl might be one of the many fantasies held by high school students.

Especially since this blonde girl had the appearance of a little angel paired with a devilish figure, which was the dream of many high school boys.

Jealous glares followed one after another, and even Kageya Shinjitsu felt surprised.

He hadn't expected to be greeted so suddenly.

"Ah, Kushida-san, nice to meet you."

"I'm Kageya Shinjitsu, a freshman."

Could this be love?

The thought popped up suddenly, but was quickly suppressed.

Kageya Shinjitsu introduced himself honestly.

Kushida-san, however, kindly continued to find topics to keep the conversation going.

The words of this cute, sexy angel prompted Kageya Shinjitsu to reply to her word for word.

It looked exactly like the life of a popular student in love.

Unfortunately, this bus romance didn't last long.

It ended the moment the bus arrived at the school.

The interaction between the two wasn't particularly extensive.

[New author, new book, first update. If you feel it's okay, please support it. Feel free to comment. "Seeking subscriptions," "seeking flowers," "seeking tips," "seeking collections," "seeking monthly tickets."]

Chapter 2: Little Angel Kushida Kikyo

The bus stopped in front of the gate of Advanced Nurturing High School, and the doors slowly opened.

The students on the bus naturally began to get off one after another. Kageya Shinjitsu blended in among them, and in an instant, the bus was much emptier.

Just after getting off, his attention was already drawn to the massive stone gate in front of him.

The meticulously carved, enormous stone gate was the hallmark of this school.

"It really is tall."

Kageya Shinjitsu looked up.

The massive portal, which looked like the gaping maw of an abyss capable of swallowing everyone whole, gave off a grand and imposing feeling.

"What an impressive academy. It's truly great to be able to study at a school like this."

"Let's keep in touch, Kageya Shinjitsu-kun."

Kushida Kikyo, who was walking beside him, spoke like a little angel.

Her attitude suggested she already considered Kageya Shinjitsu an acquaintance.

"Sure, Hanada-san."

"Let's keep in touch when we have time."

Even though they hadn't exchanged contact information, Kageya Shinjitsu walked toward the campus without looking back, crossing through that abyssal gate.

He couldn't wait to join this campus life.

"Hanada-san?"

As Kageya Shinjitsu left, he left Kushida Kikyo tilting her head in a cute, puzzled way, standing dazed on the spot. Had she misheard him just now?

After chatting for so long on the bus, the other party hadn't even remembered her name?

A boy and a girl who got off behind her glanced at her strangely, as if they had witnessed the scene and seen her being forgotten.

Without saying a word or showing any mocking expressions, they entered the campus with deadpan faces.

In a sense, they were very synchronized and well-matched.

A preliminary understanding of the school.

Receiving a notification, Kageya Shinjitsu successfully located his classroom.

"Class 1-D, they've even assigned the seating already?"

By the time he arrived at the classroom, there were already people inside. Most of the students were sitting at their desks, either reading through the school materials or zoning out. There were also some who perhaps knew each other from the past, or others who had just started to hit it off, chatting away on the side.

Kageya Shinjitsu didn't care in the least; he found his assigned seat, sat down, and waited with anticipation.

It wasn't the back row by the window, the hometown of kings, but rather a seat near the corridor in the front.

There were cute girls sitting both in front of and behind him, neither of whom paid him any mind.

There was no one next to him yet; that seat remained empty.

In this atmosphere, students arrived at the classroom one after another, and the room gradually became crowded. Kushida Kikyo was one of them.

As it happened, her seat was the one right next to Kageya Shinjitsu that had been vacant all along.

Upon arriving, she immediately flashed a friendly smile, looking radiant.

"That's great, Kageya-kun, we're in the same class."

"I was worried that everyone would be a stranger, so this is a relief."

She reached her seat, set down her bag, and spoke happily.

She pressed her hands together, looking as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

This feeling—it was the look of a girl feeling at ease because of your presence.

"Oh, Noda-san, what a coincidence."