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

After Ichinose and the others left, Aoyama went over to Sakura, who was slumped on a rest chair.

Although she looked half-dead, one could vaguely discern a hint of excitement in her eyes.

"Mm." With a light nod, Sakura pursed her lips slightly as she looked at Aoyama, her gaze silently conveying a sense of resentment at being abandoned.

"As compensation, want to go get ramen? My treat."

Ruffling the hair of the resentful girl, Aoyama chuckled as he extended an invitation that most girls would find unacceptable.

Heavy oil and heavy salt were the ultimate enemies for girls who cared about their figures.

"Ah... could we pick something else?"

With her two pale index fingers pressed together in front of her chest, Sakura lowered her head and replied with some trepidation.

"Of course, if you don't like the food, it wouldn't be much of a compensation."

Even though her refusal hadn't been very firm, Aoyama still felt a sense of relief.

So, he reached out again, stroking Sakura's long, fiery red hair even more gently.

July, for the first-year students, was just as peaceful as June.

The students of Class D, who had been intimidated by Chabashira with the threat of a special exam back in early May, had long since cast it to the back of their minds.

Before the final exams.

I really just want to live a peaceful life.

In the noisy Class D classroom before the start of class, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was suffering from a headache due to the focused gazes of his classmates.

Standing right in front of his desk now was the most eye-catching problem student in Class D, the fiercely individualistic Koenji Rokusuke.

"Student Council Vice President Aoyama Shiki says you're a big deal, and I just happen to be interested in testing that out."

Having said roughly that much, Koenji extended his hand toward Ayanokoji amidst the shock of the Class D students, seemingly intending to shake hands.

"I remember Aoyama invited you to join the Student Council too. Could it be that you've really been hiding your strength, Ayanokoji?" Sudo, who had been helped by him before, immediately kicked him while he was down.

"He probably mistook me for someone else with the same name. As you see me every day, I'm just an average student with mediocre ability."

"I only trust my own judgment."

Meeting Ayanokoji's deep, indifferent eyes, Koenji extended his hand further with interest, his gaze not wavering in the slightest.

The more Ayanokoji tried to cover it up, the more interested he became in him.

"What a pity, I have no intention of shaking hands with a guy."

Not knowing what Koenji was up to, Ayanokoji had no intention of playing along.

Ignoring the outstretched hand, he stood up directly, planning to head outside the classroom to avoid the situation.

Having gone this far, he figured Koenji wouldn't be able to pester him further.

"What's the deal, Ayanokoji?"

Indeed, Koenji stopped pestering him, just as Ayanokoji had expected.

But Sudo felt a sense of dissonance regarding Ayanokoji's resistant behavior, which prompted him to leave his seat and head straight toward Ayanokoji to get to the bottom of it.

In his rush—fearing his "brother" might drive off in his Range Rover—Sudo tripped over the leg of his own chair, his body leaning forward and bumping into his seatmate's desk before he managed to steady himself.

"Sorry." Muttering the word without a shred of sincerity, Sudo lifted his head again.

He didn't spare a second glance at the school bag that had been knocked to the floor belonging to his seatmate, Sakura Airi, let alone offer to help pick it up.

Waa, I hope my camera is okay?

The culprit, Sudo, didn't care that the bag had fallen, but as the owner, Sakura Airi was extremely concerned because there was a fragile item inside.

A fragile item worth nearly one hundred thousand private points that she couldn't afford to buy again.

Wailing in her heart, Sakura hurriedly picked up her bag and fished out the camera.

Because she had woken up a bit late that morning, she had been in such a rush that she hadn't put the protective case on the camera.

And the consequence of not having the case on was that half of the camera's screen had gone black.

Wuu wuu---

Her heart sank completely; Sakura looked up at Sudo and opened her mouth.

She wanted to say something.

But seeing his irritable face, she couldn't get a single word out.

I guess I'll have to take it to get repaired myself... but that clerk is so scary.

Turning the power off and back on, only to find the screen was still half-black, Sakura felt like crying.

When she bought the camera, the look in that clerk's eyes was the most terrifying thing she had ever encountered at school, as if he wanted to swallow her whole.

She tied her hair in dowdy twin tails and wore plain, featureless glasses to hide herself.

Even though she had been in disguise, the clerk's eyes were filled with bottomless desire.

[Aoyama, I have some private points.]

Because she was too afraid to go alone, Sakura had gone through an intense internal struggle before messaging the only student she was familiar with.

After editing the message back and forth many times, she still couldn't come up with a greeting that satisfied her.

Then, in the panic of the class bell ringing, a text message that looked inexplicable was sent out.

What does this mean? Is she hinting that I should extort her?

In the Class A classroom, after class ended and he noticed Sakura's message, Aoyama was also a bit confused.

Thinking that it was just about lunchtime, he set off directly toward the Class D classroom.

Since most students chose to eat in the cafeteria, the Class D classroom was sparse, with only those who brought bento boxes remaining.

"What are you eating for lunch, Suzune?"

Walking into the classroom as if no one else was there, Aoyama smiled at the flustered Sakura before sitting in the seat in front of Horikita Suzune, facing her.

After looting one million gold coins from Horikita Manabu, he had used the excuse of "loving the house and its crow" to improve Horikita Suzune's lunch.

"Steamed pork ribs, tomato and eggs, and lettuce." Glancing coldly at Aoyama, Horikita Suzune took out her bento box and opened it.

The neatly arranged dishes looked very appetizing, especially the tomato and eggs, which were one of Aoyama's favorites.

"Not bad, not bad. This is mine now."

Without standing on ceremony, he picked up Horikita Suzune's chopsticks and began to feast, ignoring the curious gazes of some Class D students.

While eating, he took out his phone to chat with Sakura, who was sitting a seat away, asking her what that text message was about.

"Remember to wash them."

"I'm only not going to the cafeteria because I'm lazy. You're counting on me?" After eating the sweet and sour tomato, Aoyama gave a shrug.

"...You will definitely become an excellent freeloader in the future."

"I think I already am."

Smiling as he bid farewell to the somewhat dark-faced Horikita Suzune, Aoyama secretly winked at Sakura from time to time.

This caused the blush on Sakura's face to never fade, and her head was almost buried in the bento box in front of her.

[No problem, there's no need for private points.]

Through the phone chat, Aoyama finally understood what Sakura's text message meant.

Simply put, her camera was broken and she wanted to get it repaired, but the clerk's gaze looked so terrifying that she was afraid to go alone and wanted to ask him to accompany her.

That fanatic fan clerk? It would be strange if his gaze wasn't terrifying.

Because he had appeared in the original work, as soon as Sakura mentioned it, Aoyama knew who the clerk with the terrifying gaze was.

A middle-aged man in his thirties, yet he was crazily obsessed with Sakura, who was still a middle school student at the time.

He even had the nerve to think a toad could eat swan meat.

He's asking for death!

Chapter 59: Keyaki Mall

Double braids, a mask covering most of her face, and glasses with bright red frames.

What appeared before Aoyama on Sunday morning was a Sakura who looked like a stalker, with not a shadow of an idol to be seen.

"I want a refund."

With a slight smile, Aoyama decisively shooed Sakura back to her dormitory and followed her inside.

Compared to the rooms of Horikita Suzune or Yamamura, Sakura's looked much cuter; while there were many moe-style decorations, there were also photos of Sakura from her modeling days posted on the walls.

The girl in front of the camera wearing fashionable clothes was confident and shining; some might even believe it if you said she was a girl more cheerful than Ichinose.

Don't look, Aoyama-kun, it's so embarrassing!

Seeing Aoyama examining the photos in the room with interest, Sakura felt as if her face were on fire, and the sound of her heartbeat was also very distinct.

This was the first time she had brought a boy back to her room, and she hadn't prepared anything at all.

As Aoyama looked at her during her shining days, she felt both embarrassed and happy.

I can also be as shining as Aoyama-kun.

So please don't dislike me; I will work hard to become someone who can always stay like that.

"Teach me how to tie this hairstyle." Unable to perceive even a hint of Sakura's complex mood, Aoyama pointed to a photo and spoke to her.

The girl in the photo was dazzling beyond compare, and the hairstyle hit his preferences perfectly.

Once he learned it, he could help Yamamura tie her hair like this when they were alone.

"Ah... okay."

Although she was a little surprised as to why Aoyama wanted to learn it, Sakura agreed immediately.

She was very happy to be able to help Aoyama.

"Loop it around here, then pull it through."

Sitting at the desk that doubled as a vanity, Sakura suppressed her shyness and began to demonstrate for Aoyama, her gaze darting toward his face in the mirror every now and then.

The moment she caught Aoyama looking back at her in the reflection, she would lower her head, her cheeks flushing red as her movements involuntarily slowed down.

"I think I've got it; let me try."

After a bit of fumbling, in less than ten minutes, Sakura finished her one-time tutorial.

Two small ponytails hung on either side of her head, a braid was tied horizontally across the waterfall of long hair cascading down her back, and two strands of red hair hung quietly in front of her ears, giving her a look full of youthful vitality.

"Eh, that fast? I thought I'd have to demonstrate a couple more times."

"That was enough."

With a smirk, Aoyama gently stroked Sakura's long hair, carefully returning the silky locks to their original state.

After combing through the fiery red hair, he gathered a large handful and took a sniff, then let the delicate strands slip through his fingers.

"Aoyama..."

"Couldn't help myself, I just couldn't help myself."

To the girl in the mirror whose cheeks were stained with red, Aoyama offered a light chuckle while lingering on the rich, sweet scent.

Then, drawing on the frame-by-frame memory in his mind, he slowly recreated the hairstyle Sakura had just taught him.

"Done, we can head out now."

He boldly pinched the cheek of the stunned Sakura before darting out of the girl's dormitory.

A long while later, Sakura emerged from the dorm, looking radiant with a hint of allure in her eyes, and shot Aoyama a slightly reproachful glare.

How could he just touch a girl's face like that?

She had been so shy she nearly fainted.

"Let's go, let's go, GOGOGO!"