Classroom of the Elite, I Also Want to Be a Good Person

If it weren't for those three idiots, Class D's class points would have remained at around five hundred, which would have been enough to cover the private points swindled by Aoyama.

Compared to Aoyama, who had scammed her, she felt even more resentment toward the three idiots of Class D, led by Yamauchi.

How could people be stupid to such a degree!

Sitting up from her bed, the expression on Kushida's face was a hundred times colder than that of Horikita Suzune, who was known as the Ice Beauty.

Just thinking about having to smile at Yamauchi and the others at school made her want to vomit.

If only I were a student in Class A.

With nine hundred and forty class points, just seeing that number told Kushida that students like those in Class D didn't exist in Class A.

Coupled with the fact that the woman Horikita Suzune was in her class, every day she spent in the Class D classroom was an ordeal.

[I heard from Aoyama that you must be very short on private points right now; I think I can lend some to you.]

Her phone chimed with a notification, and after stretching, Kushida opened the interface.

Then, her world collapsed.

"I've already sent a private message to Kushida in the group chat. Has she asked you for help?"

"Is this meant to make me owe her a favor? And then have her convince others to accept me as the leader?"

Meanwhile, in the school cafeteria, Horikita Suzune placed her phone, which was still glowing, onto the table.

Just a moment ago, she had reached out to Kushida based on Aoyama's instructions.

"Uh, the goal is right, but the process is wrong." Aoyama's hand, holding chopsticks with noodles, paused in mid-air.

Horikita Suzune did not yet know that Kushida Kikyo was the student in the entire school who wanted her expelled the most.

The private message just now wasn't about trading favors; it was an accelerant meant to fuel Kushida's rage.

"It's not about trading favors?" Horikita Suzune tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face.

To avoid further questioning from Horikita, Aoyama chose to brush her off. "In any case, I'll make sure Kushida speaks up for you. I'll notify you when I'm ready; it should be within a day or two."

To ensure Yamamura wouldn't be overworked, he had already applied pressure to Kushida through Horikita.

And once Kushida returned to the Class D classroom, Karuizawa would find an excuse to apply a second layer of pressure.

There was no way Kushida wouldn't explode within these next two days.

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll try to tackle the Midterm Exam challenge on my own for now."

"Good. There are two solutions for the Class D Midterm Exam. If you really can't think of them, come find me."

Lowering his head, Aoyama continued to devour his free breakfast.

It wasn't just dinner; Horikita Suzune was now covering his breakfast as well, as part of the compensation for helping her become the leader of Class D.

The main and most important reward was—the First Year First Special Exam, where the command of Class D would belong to him.

Although there was a requirement that Class D must win, the school was very generous with the First Year First Special Exam, and the potential profit he could rake in would be no less than seven figures.

"Two, huh..."

Muttering to himself, Horikita Suzune wore a thoughtful expression.

"Two? Aoyama-kun is truly amazing; I only thought of one."

On the way back to the dormitory after finishing Student Council business, Shiina Hiyori smiled softly as she offered praise to the boy beside her.

"Thinking of one by the second day, Shiina-san is also very impressive—much better than Kamuro Secretary."

"Yeah, yeah, then why don't you promote Shiina to secretary and fire me instead."

Rolling her eyes, Kamuro didn't bother to refute Aoyama's words. After learning the 'yep, yep, you're always right' method, she felt she had become invincible.

And in reality, that was exactly the case. Facing the indifferent Kamuro, Aoyama could only turn his attention back to Shiina.

The cute girl, who was accustomed to holding her books against her chest as she walked, radiated a soft and airy atmosphere.

"Shiina-san is thinking of the method to lower the class average, aren't you?" Aoyama guessed.

At Kouiku, failing wasn't about falling below a certain number; it was about falling below the class average.

The way the average was calculated was by taking the total score of the entire class in that subject and dividing it by the number of students taking the test. In other words, the higher the scores of the good students, the easier it was for the poor students to fail.

Conversely, if everyone scored low, the passing line—the average—would be very, very low.

Nodding to confirm Aoyama's words, a hint of curiosity appeared on Shiina's face. "Has Aoyama-kun already sold the solution to Class D?"

"Shiina-san is just like a tapeworm in my stomach; you've seen right through me."

Pausing, Aoyama replied with a touch of sentiment.

Freely telling a competitor his solution naturally meant that the solution was already useless; Shiina's deductive reasoning was excellent.

After glancing at the cute, smiling Shiina, a mischievous urge rose within Aoyama.

"My second solution is..."

"Stop!!! Stop!"

Clutching her books with both hands, a flustered Shiina shouted as she lunged toward Aoyama.

"I'll stop, I'll stop, I really won't say it anymore."

Feeling the soft, delicate sensation against his arms, Aoyama hurriedly pressed his hands onto Shiina's shoulders to steady her.

He knew that Shiina, who loved mystery and puzzle-solving, would get anxious, but he hadn't expected her to charge at him like that.

"You're mean." Realizing that Aoyama was just teasing her and hadn't actually intended to say it, Shiina pouted.

"My bad, how about I treat you to a meal when I have time?"

Aoyama believed there was no problem that couldn't be solved by a meal; if one didn't work, he'd just treat her to two.

Free food was the best food.

"Don't look at me, I'm not in that kind of relationship with that guy." Seeing Shiina's gaze suddenly drift toward her, Kamuro said dismissively.

She was used to that kind of look by now; she knew they were just mistaking her for Aoyama's girlfriend again.

Although the guy was quite good-looking, she didn't have that kind of heart-fluttering feeling.

At least, not yet.

"I want to change my condition, Aoyama-kun." Rubbing the cover of the book in her hands, the distinct texture of the embossed title helped Shiina's nervous tension fade away.

Since Kamuro wasn't Aoyama's girlfriend, she could invite him with confidence.

That ordinary afternoon in April.

Aoyama, who had suddenly come over to strike up a conversation, had broken the stagnant pool of her school life.

The words, "Once I start to like reading, I'll trouble Shiina-san to recommend some books," appeared in her mind from time to time.

"Whenever you're free, Aoyama-kun, could you accompany me to the library?"

"I want to make you like reading too, Aoyama-kun."

Smiling faintly, a shy blush spread across Shiina's face.

Chapter 30: Threatening Kushida

What kind of books would the adorable Shiina-san recommend to me?

Mystery? Philosophy?

Against the backdrop of the dormitory building with most of its lights extinguished, Aoyama walked along the quiet sidewalk.

There was still an hour left until curfew, and a few dozen meters ahead of him, Yamamura was nervously tailing Kushida, who had left the dormitory alone.

"Remember not to make a sound when you see Kushida's hidden, ferocious side," Aoyama gently reminded Yamamura through his Bluetooth earpiece.

Just as he had predicted, under the dual pressure of Horikita Suzune and Karuizawa, Kushida was finally going to vent in secret tonight.

Watching the sudden reversal of an angel turning into a devil, he was worried that Yamamura might be discovered by Kushida due to panic.

"Kushida-san has a ferocious side?"

"By the way, Hirata does too. That's the reason why both of them were assigned to Class D."

Listening to Yamamura's small, weak voice coming through the earpiece, Aoyama casually revealed that he knew many things he shouldn't.

"Hirata-kun does too!?"

And so do I, by the way.

Aoyama thought to himself as he snapped off a small twig that was hanging over the sidewalk.

Following behind Yamamura, a vast, deep sea, sharing the same hue as the sky, appeared before his eyes.

The campus was built on an artificial island near the coast, and one of the benefits of being a student at Kouiku was being able to see the ocean view at any time.

"Bang—bang—bang!"

The dull sound of iron railings being kicked shattered the quiet, chilly atmosphere by the sea.

The cold, venomous cursing from Kushida drowned out the sound of Yamamura's quickening breath.

Thinking that Kushida had entered a state of venting and her vigilance was essentially gone, Aoyama quietly moved to Yamamura's side.

He clasped his hands together, his deep blue eyes, usually hidden beneath half-closed lids, fully revealed.

In his line of sight, Yamamura was frozen in place like a statue, shocked by Kushida's transformation.

You forgot to record, you cute little Yamamura.

Carefully taking out his phone and opening the recording mode, Aoyama first captured Yamamura's stunned expression before turning the perspective toward Kushida.

Kicking the railing again and again, Kushida didn't stop cursing.

Horikita Suzune, Yamauchi Haruki, Sudo, Karuizawa...

In just a few minutes, more than ten names had come out of Kushida's mouth; some were people Aoyama knew, and others he didn't.

Among them, naturally, was his own name.

"How can someone look so decent but have such a black heart? That bitch Karuizawa took all the benefits."

"When did you get close to that bitch Horikita Suzune again? Why don't you both just go die?"

"You two are scum! Scum! Scum!"

With every shout, Kushida kicked the railing.

In the moment her short hair flew up, the delicate profile revealed lacked even a trace of the kindness she usually displayed.

"Ah!"

"Who's there!!! Come out right now!"

Coming back to her senses and realizing that Aoyama had appeared beside her, Yamamura couldn't help but let out a startled cry.

The cry wasn't actually loud, but in the night air filled with Kushida's shrill voice, it stood out like ink on a blank sheet of paper.

"Go back to the dorms first and leave the rest to me. You're a treasure I've kept hidden, and I don't want you to be discovered by anyone yet."

Shielding the bewildered Yamamura behind him, Aoyama turned back and gently patted her cute little head.

"But..."

"Be good, listen to me."

Seeing that pitiful expression like a child who had done something wrong, Aoyama couldn't help but lightly pinch her smooth, tender cheek before pushing Yamamura's back to get her moving.

Afterward, he stepped out from behind the cover and walked unhurriedly until he stood before Kushida.

"Yo, good evening, Kushida-san."

"I really captured something good today."

Staring straight at Kushida, whose lips were pressed tight and whose gaze was like a blade, Aoyama wore a smile devoid of any goodwill.

Knowing that Kushida was no saint, he didn't think he could drive her with mere sentiment.

If Kushida hated him, so be it; being able to command her to do things was what mattered most.

"Delete it." Kushida's eyes were locked onto the right hand hanging at Aoyama's side, where a mobile phone was held loosely in a hand much larger than her own.