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

"I don't think you have any reason to apologize, and I actually agree with your choice not to testify."

Interrupting Sakura, whose body was trembling with hesitation, Aoyama Chian took a sip of tea.

The person involved in the Class D fight, Sudo Ken, was hot-tempered, loved cutting in line, and was a litterbug; he was also one of the culprits behind Class D having only 250 class points left in May.

If he were a student in Class D, he wouldn't feel a shred of psychological burden watching Sudo suffer the consequences.

"But, I feel... classmates should help each other. If I just speak up as a witness, I'll definitely become the center of attention, and I... I hate that."

"As the Student Council Vice President, I can tell you clearly that a statement from a witness within the same class doesn't carry much weight."

As a classmate of Sudo, and due to the nature of Kouiku, the interests of students and their class are bound together.

If it weren't for the surveillance footage proving that Sakura was at the scene at that time, her testimony would have been completely useless.

"But I feel like if I stay silent, I'll definitely regret it in the future." Holding the warm paper cup with both hands, Sakura lowered her head even further.

"Then, is it alright if I inform Ichinose and the others that you were a witness?"

"It's... it's fine."

After hesitating for more than ten seconds, Sakura nodded softly in agreement.

Then, she immediately asked to leave.

"Do I look that ugly, Sakura-san?" Aoyama asked, ignoring her request.

There weren't many opportunities to find an excuse to interact with Sakura, and he didn't want to waste this one.

"Ah... um... I'm not used to making eye contact with people, I'm sorry."

"But that won't do. I think you know it's impolite, though I don't have any objections myself." Aoyama paused. "Given Suzune's personality, you'll be treated as a sacrificial pawn when necessary."

"A sacrificial pawn?" Ripples formed on the surface of the herbal tea in her cup.

"It means being a candidate for expulsion. I think you should know about the existence of special exams; sometimes, the losing class can choose who gets expelled themselves."

The Classroom Vote Exam, the Unanimous Special Exam, the Offensive and Defensive Quadrilateral Exam—in these future exams, the class itself can determine who is expelled.

Aoyama wasn't lying to Sakura; judging purely rationally, Sakura was the easiest student for Class D to discard.

Although The Three Idiots angered people often, they had many friends who would protect each other.

Standing up from his seat, Aoyama walked over to Sakura. "So, if you don't change, it won't work. And I—I really want to help you."

"Aoyama-kun... wants to help me?"

"Yes, it only costs 20,000 personal points a month. Since today has already passed, I can give you a 20% discount for this month. Buy now while it's a bargain; you won't find a deal like this anywhere else."

Wearing a gentle smile, Aoyama rested one hand on the back of Sakura's chair and placed the other on the table in front of her.

"Bearing the name of the Student Council Vice President, I cannot just stand by and watch a classmate get expelled."

Half an hour later, Sakura Airi's seat was occupied by the leader of Class B, Ichinose Honami.

Coming with her was the leader of Class D, Horikita Suzune.

"That's roughly the situation. Class D's class points basically won't be deducted, and Class B remains as it was." Aoyama began to brew tea again.

After Sakura paid in a daze, he decided to provide some after-sales service, as she didn't want to attract attention by revealing her identity as a gravure model.

The witness promised to come forward, and the impact that the witness's testimony could have.

These were the things he had just told Ichinose and the other girl.

"However, Sudo's suspension is unavoidable. After all, he did hit someone."

"I cannot accept that." Horikita Suzune's expression was stern.

It was clearly a setup and frame-up by Class C; if Class C could get away with it unscathed while she was punished, it would clearly mean that the first clash between Class D and Class C had ended in a loss for Class D.

"If you can't accept that, there are only two solutions: first, you find clear evidence that Ryuen intended to frame him; second, the Class C students themselves withdraw their complaint."

Aoyama looked at Ichinose, who was deep in thought. "Regarding the fight between Kanzaki and Ryuen, based on the existing evidence, I would probably rule it a 60-40 split. Kanzaki insisting that it was a mutual fight with Ryuen was handled well."

"If Ichinose-san can find corroborating evidence that Ryuen intended to frame him, I can change the ruling to 50-50."

"This afternoon, I will have the Kamuro Secretary notify Class B and Class C that the time for gathering evidence is set for seven days."

For the sake of 100,000 personal points, Aoyama put on a show for Ichinose and the other girl, demonstrating what it meant to have money make things easy.

As long as it was a favor that wouldn't get him caught, he dared to help and would help.

"Um... how should I put this? Thank you, Aoyama-kun." Ichinose was momentarily at a loss, her smile somewhat forced.

"No need to be so polite with family. Remember to come to me next time."

Patting Ichinose on the shoulder, Aoyama left the room for Ichinose and Horikita to discuss matters.

Because he had forgotten his coat, he had to return to the dormitory to get his suit jacket before he could go to class.

Kouiku had a very frustrating rule: to enter the school, one must wear the damn suit jacket, regardless of whether it was winter or summer.

Although the school's central air conditioning system is quite comprehensive, there is no such thing as air conditioning while walking to school or moving between teaching buildings.

Could I buy the right to not wear a school uniform?

Carrying his uniform jacket in his hand while on his way to school, Aoyama suddenly had this thought.

Changing school rules is difficult, but he should be able to afford the price of buying the right to not wear a uniform jacket.

Chapter 39: Class F Sakura

"Buying the right to not wear a uniform? No student has ever thought of that before."

In the teachers' office, Mashima Tomoya scratched his head in confusion as he faced Aoyama Shiki, who had come to ask about purchasing the right to forgo the uniform.

He has been working at this school for six years, and he has never heard of such a thing.

"I will discuss it with the person who can make this decision, but even if it can be purchased, the amount of private points required will not be small."

"Then I will trouble you, Mashima-sensei."

After expressing that he still held this intention, Aoyama left the teachers' office.

Nothing unexpected happened; everything was calm and peaceful.

The leisurely school hours passed quickly, and Mashima-sensei had not given him an answer by the time he left school.

After finishing his Student Council duties, Aoyama did not go to the track to exercise today.

He went to a gym not far from the dormitory building, and being wealthy and generous, he booked a private room for a month.

Perhaps out of consideration for the students, the cost was not too expensive.

Well, it's acceptable.

Aoyama looked at the equipment in the room; treadmills were naturally included, needless to say.

Lat pulldown machines, stair climbers, stationary bikes, and things like dumbbells all looked quite professional.

"I'm here... Aoyama-kun."

Ordinary school gym clothes, a dowdy braided hairstyle, and unfashionable red-rimmed glasses.

After entering the room, Sakura Airi stood timidly beside the door.

"Take off your jacket, put your hair up in a bun or a single ponytail, and take off your glasses," Aoyama said, doing his warm-up exercises at a steady pace. "I know those are non-prescription frames."

"Since you've already come to the gym, I assume you know what's coming next, so don't wear unnecessary things."

Traditional Chinese medicine has the concept of the trinity of essence, energy, and spirit; in the process of strengthening the body, one can improve their self-confidence.

According to Western medicine, exercise can stimulate the secretion of endorphins and also help alleviate anxiety, depression, and other emotions.

In short, moderate fitness is a good thing no matter how you look at it.

"...Um, I understand."

Shuffling over to the full-length mirror, Sakura began to remove her disguise.

Although she knew from the morning that Aoyama had discovered her true appearance while checking the surveillance footage, this was the first time since entering school that she had shown her true face to someone face-to-face.

"Doesn't that look much better? You look more energetic, too."

A fiery red ponytail reaching past her waist was tied behind her head, and her beautiful ice-blue eyes were no longer obstructed by glasses. Her face was as lovely as a flower, and only now did Sakura have a bit of the flair of a print model.

"Let's start with some warm-up exercises. Just follow what I do."

Standing with his feet shoulder-width apart and his knees slightly bent, Aoyama held his arms out to the sides in a T-shape.

After Sakura followed along with an expression that suggested she was struggling to resist the urge to run away, he began to count "one, two, one, two," leading Sakura through chest expansion exercises.

"Keep your head up, chest out, and do it seriously. This is the first stage, so I won't force you to look me in the eyes." Aoyama closed his eyes.

When he glanced slightly at Sakura's face and their eyes met, Sakura's movements began to falter, and her head dropped.

Generally speaking, it is normal to feel uncomfortable when being watched, but to be so uncomfortable that one feels fear is already a kind of illness.

"Are you watching me?"

"Yes, Aoyama-kun... I'm sorry."

Staring intently at Aoyama's face while his eyes were closed, Sakura answered quickly, fearing he would open them.

With his statue-like, handsome, and three-dimensional features, she felt that Aoyama Shiki, ranked first on the freshman heartthrob list, was not living up to his reputation for nothing.

Come to think of it, why is she even here?

Although Aoyama looked kind and was good-looking, her little heart couldn't quite handle it.

Talking to boys and such—it was just too difficult.

Did she take some kind of love potion this morning? She felt like she hadn't really used her brain before paying Aoyama to help her improve her strength and avoid expulsion.

Is it too late to go back on it now?

"Alright, next warm-up movement."

"Yes, I will follow along."

As soon as Aoyama spoke, Sakura immediately snapped out of her regret.

Before long, the sound of her slightly heavy breathing gradually began to fill the room.

After only ten minutes of warm-up exercises, Sakura was already struggling, while Aoyama remained completely composed.

"We're just starting out, so let's stick to jogging today. If you get tired, just rest; don't push yourself."

After showing Sakura how to use the treadmill, Aoyama walked over to the stair climber.

Since it was his first time using this machine, he chose a medium speed setting.

The test results showed that the intensity of this equipment was not low at all.

Sakura had only been sitting on the rest bench for a short while when Aoyama, drenched in sweat, sat down beside her.

"I'll just call you Sakura, and you can call me Aoyama. From here on out, I'll help you get used to my presence and gradually improve your ability to communicate with others."

"Once you can chat with me without feeling nervous, I'll introduce you to other students with good personalities."

Lifting the hem of his shirt, Aoyama wiped his face directly.

"Once your communication skills are up to par, your performance evaluation will be in the middle of the class, which means you won't be targeted as a candidate for expulsion."

"I'm sorry, I... I might... not be able to meet Aoyama-kun's requirements very quickly."

Although she knew that the faster her communication skills improved, the better, Sakura lacked the confidence to meet Aoyama's requirements, simply seeing no possibility of achieving it in the short term.

Almost every second, she wanted to escape this room and return to the comfort of her own bed.

"It's fine, it doesn't matter if you don't reach it."

It doesn't matter if I don't reach it? Wouldn't that be perfectly fine?

Listening to Aoyama's gentle tone, Sakura felt a sense of relief, but also a tiny bit of sadness.

Does he not have any expectations for me from the very beginning?

That makes sense; after all, I'm so useless. The manga trope of a prince charming saving a gloomy girl could never happen to someone like me.

"Even if you don't reach it, we'll continue according to the original plan. I will forcibly drag you to meet new friends and learn to communicate. If you dare to run away, I'll come straight to your class to drag you out."