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

"I'm telling you, I'm a man of my word. Until I deem your communication skills up to par, I won't let you off the hook."

As Sakura was lost in her own thoughts, Aoyama's tone lost its gentleness; he even reached out to press down on her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"Don't even think about running away."

"I... I wasn't thinking about running away..."

"That's good. I have high hopes for you, Sakura." With a faint smile, Aoyama reached out and patted Sakura on the head.

Having Yamamura as a precedent, he had learned how to get along with shy, obedient girls.

A mix of carrot and stick is the golden rule.

According to the normal plot progression, there is a very disgusting exam in the final semester of the first year.

The more friends one can trust, the less likely they are to be expelled.

Conversely, students without many friends have a higher probability of being expelled.

Aoyama could assert that making friends with Sakura Airi was primarily a matter of taking precautions.

As for the fact that Sakura was very beautiful and had an astonishing F-cup figure, those were merely secondary reasons.

He was deeply convinced of this.

Chapter 40 Shopping Together

The classroom, the Student Council, the gym, the Horikita Dormitory.

After a few days of a very regular routine, the Sunday that Aoyama and Kamuro had agreed upon to go buy clothes at Keyaki Mall finally arrived.

The group of four arrived at Keyaki Mall in the morning, before the weather had turned hot.

"I don't even remember how long it's been since I last went out to have fun with friends during a break."

Wearing a pale blue dress with a pure white cardigan draped over it, Shiina Hiyori wore a gentle smile on her lovely face.

When they were reading together in the library, Aoyama had mentioned buying clothes, and when he noticed that Shiina seemed to be looking forward to it, he decisively invited her.

"You should just invite me whenever you want to go out. Honestly, no student has ever asked me to go out and play since I enrolled." With Kamuro on his left and Yamamura on his right, Aoyama matched the pace of the girls. "I wonder when my bleak school life will finally come to an end."

"That's your own doing."

Not indulging Aoyama in the slightest, Kamuro was the first to tear down his act.

If Aoyama just acted normally in class and wasn't so overbearing and unreasonable, the line of girls wanting to ask him out would be endless.

Tall, strong, handsome, and the vice president of the Student Council—he was the textbook definition of a popular guy.

"Kamuro, when will you invite me for once? Then I could brag to my male friends that a pretty girl took the initiative to ask me out."

"Let's talk about that when you actually have some male friends." Suddenly bursting into a giggle, Kamuro's face was full of smugness.

Right, I don't have any male friends in this school.

Reminded by Kamuro, Aoyama realized this problem.

Since entering Kouiku, not a single student he had chatted with on his phone had a pair of balls.

"I think Aoyama might get along with Ryuen." A mischievous glint appeared in Shiina's smile. "How about you let Ryuen be your first boyfriend, Aoyama?"

"I don't want that! At least give it another ten years."

Aoyama clutched his head with both hands. "And what the hell is a 'boyfriend'? That phrasing is way too ambiguous, I protest."

As a real man, he was only interested in girls.

Even if someone handed him the Bixie Sword Manual, he would tear it to shreds.

"Yamamura, you dare laugh at me."

Noticing that Yamamura was also secretly smiling, Aoyama reached out and ruffled her hair vigorously.

Amidst the banter, the group arrived at a large clothing store that sold both men's and women's apparel.

Perhaps because they had the same goal as Aoyama, there were quite a few students planning to buy some cool summer clothes; there were at least a dozen students browsing in the shop.

Among them, one boy with dyed yellow hair and a handsome face wore a smug, punchable smile.

"Junior Aoyama, what a coincidence. You're here to buy clothes too?"

"Use titles when at work. I am currently conducting a survey with Secretary Kamuro." Aoyama put on the expression Kamuro often used on him. "Don't bother us, whether you have business or not."

"What exactly are you surveying, Vice President Aoyama? I'm a bit curious."

Raising an eyebrow, Nagumo didn't mind Aoyama's rudeness at all, nor did he question the obvious lie about them being at work.

As a Student Council vice president, what was wrong with assigning himself a task?

"Surveying how long a childhood friend's friendship can last when a guy is out flirting with others."

"I see. I thought you were surveying whether someone would get slashed by their future brother-in-law for having one foot in two boats."

"Usually, the first ones to get slashed are the ones just standing there watching the show."

"The bond between childhood friends is unbreakable, after all."

After trading barbs, Nagumo was quickly pulled away by a girl with long golden hair, heading straight toward the checkout counter.

The payer was clear as day.

"I feel so sorry for Asahina-senpai." Watching Nagumo's retreating back, Shiina wore an expression of disgust, which was a rare sight for her.

Judging by the way Nagumo was holding hands with the girl, the two were undoubtedly a couple.

It wouldn't be unusual for someone to simply not be with their childhood friend, but Nagumo possessed an extremely strong sense of possessiveness.

Under his intimidation, the simple and lively Asahina didn't have a single male friend in the second year.

Anyone who dared to get close to her had been expelled through his schemes.

"When I become the Student Council President, he'll be the first one I kick out of the Student Council."

Like Shiina, Aoyama couldn't stand Nagumo either, but the barrier between their grade levels made it difficult for him to take direct action against him.

As for high-risk tactics like framing someone, it wasn't worth it.

Nagumo, who had managed to become the Student Council Vice President despite the rejection of the Student Council leader Horikita Manabu, was not only perfectly sane but also highly intelligent.

If his abilities were rated from A to D, Nagumo's academic prowess, physical strength, and judgment were all A.

"Does that mean I should start preparing my private points then, Merchant-kun?"

"Shouldn't you start with a bribe first, like giving him a gift?"

Reaching out to touch the high-quality fabric of a short-sleeved shirt nearby, Aoyama teased Shiina with a grin.

Attacking Nagumo couldn't be rushed, and Kushida had already been busy with that matter recently.

The reliable target she had selected to manipulate was also on the verge of having their heart broken, ready to hand over their own weaknesses in exchange for trust.

"How can giving a gift to a friend be called a bribe?" Regaining her smile, Shiina chuckled as she walked into the men's clothing section.

It seemed I'll need to pick out an outfit for Shiina as well.

Kamuro, I need you to lend me a hand!

Knowing nothing about women's fashion, Aoyama decisively dragged Kamuro, who had the air of a big sister, along with him.

"Yamamura, what are you still standing there for? Hurry up and catch up."

Calling out to Yamamura, who was left standing there looking somewhat bewildered, Aoyama switched into full-on shopping spree mode.

Money is meant to be spent.

This sentiment was perfectly embodied by Aoyama's actions today.

"Are you an idiot? A total idiot for buying this much at once."

"If I had known it was for me, I definitely wouldn't have said it looked good."

The shopping trip at the clothing store concluded.

Looking at the mountain of shopping bags, Kamuro held her forehead, her expression shifting from helplessness to pure speechlessness.

Earlier, under the guise that he was buying these items as gifts for others, Aoyama had tirelessly made her help him pick them out.

"Besides, aren't we supposed to wear school uniforms at school? Buying this much is just a waste; you should return them."

"Who says we have to wear school uniforms at school?" Aoyama replied to Kamuro's suggestion to return the items with a smug look.

On Friday, Mashima Tomoya-sensei had given a clear answer regarding whether the right to not wear a school uniform could be purchased.

Five hundred thousand private points per person, and it had to be paid in full on the spot.

Right then and there, under the puzzled gaze of Mashima-sensei, he had bought two slots.

One for Kamuro and one for himself.

"I know you don't like to stand out, Yamamura, so I just converted it into cash for you."

Simply explaining that he had bought two slots, Aoyama looked at the quietly standing Yamamura.

"Cash? I can't take that, I can't accept that, Aoyama—"

"You are all my good helpers; I will treat everyone equally, so you can't refuse."

Interrupting Yamamura's wavering words, Aoyama pressed his hands onto her shoulders.

"Refusing is the same as not giving me face."

"If you don't give me face, I'm going to lose my temper."

Chapter 41: Don't Let Me Down

"Idiot."

"Then you're an idiot subordinate."

On Monday morning, happening to run into Kamuro downstairs at the dormitory, Aoyama chose to walk to school with her.

She was still a bit dissatisfied with him acting on his own.

Even after saying it several times yesterday, it wasn't enough; Kamuro still called him an idiot today.

"That was five hundred thousand private points, just squandered like that."

"The most important thing in life is to be happy, and it's so breezy right now."

Wearing a light, breathable blue-gray short-sleeved shirt and knee-length athletic shorts, Aoyama felt incredibly refreshed not having to wear a suit jacket in this sweltering heat.

At first, he thought the school wouldn't agree to it, but perhaps they wanted to prove to the students that personal points could buy anything, which was why they set the exorbitant price of 500,000 points.

The school authorities probably hadn't investigated him thoroughly and assumed he couldn't possibly afford such a large sum.

"It's certainly much more comfortable without the suit jacket." Kamuro, like Aoyama, was not wearing her blazer.

Although she felt that 500,000 was far too expensive, Aoyama had already bought it, and she had no intention of letting it go to waste.

As for the puzzled looks from the students on the way to school, they would eventually disappear once everyone got used to it.

"Right? To make sure you're comfortable, Kamuro, what's a mere 500,000 personal points?"

"Yes, yes, I'm so touched I'm practically falling in love with you."

"That would be lovely."

"In your dreams."

As soon as they walked into the classroom, they inevitably became the center of attention, especially Aoyama in his cool, casual attire.

According to school regulations, the suit jacket was mandatory, and failing to wear it could result in a deduction of class points.

"Could you please explain yourself, Aoyama? I believe everyone here has questions." Katsuragi walked over to Aoyama's desk to address him.

His white shirt was buttoned all the way to the neck, and he even wore his tie, which wasn't strictly required.

As the leader of Class A, Katsuragi embodied the definition of a model student.

"Don't worry, I'm not causing any trouble."

"I bought the right to forgo the school uniform for two people for one million personal points."

Understanding what Katsuragi was worried about, Aoyama immediately cleared up his confusion.

In an instant, the classroom fell inexplicably silent, as the vast majority of the students were stunned by the figure of one million.

"Where did you get one million personal points?"