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

Entering the dense forest, Aoyama wiped away his sweat and quickened his pace once the scorching sun was no longer beating down directly on him.

Since he needed to survive for six days away from the Class A base, he naturally required a spot to sleep and rest.

On this island, there was a location perfectly suited for human habitation.

That was the staff dormitory for the island caretakers.

The ownership of this artificial island belonged entirely to the school, and to prevent outsiders from trespassing and causing damage, caretakers were essential.

Furthermore, in preparation for special exams, crops like corn and rare wild fruits were grown on the island, which also required manpower to maintain.

After wandering around for over half an hour, Aoyama finally found the wooden cabin located beneath the cliff.

Even though he had roughly determined its location while touring the island on the cruise ship, finding it in person wasn't as easy as he had imagined.

The only path leading to the cabin was an iron ladder welded onto the rock face.

Only by leaning over and peering down could one spot the cabin nestled at the bottom of the cliff.

"Moshi moshi, is anyone there?"

After calling out as a mere formality, Aoyama pushed open the door and entered the cabin, which was less than thirty square meters.

Judging by the layer of dust, he determined that someone had been living here not long ago.

Though small, the cabin was fully equipped; it even had a small bathroom and kitchen.

There was a bunk bed, and the wall that served as both a bedroom and living room was hung with several brand-new fishing rods.

To the right of the entrance, there was a device clearly meant for checking in, its screen displaying a status indicating it was currently unoccupied.

Nice.

After taking his belongings out of his backpack and tidying up a bit, Aoyama lay down on the bed to rest, the cool breeze blowing continuously from a portable fan nearby.

After resting for a dozen minutes, he got up, turned off the fan, and headed out with his empty backpack.

Once he closed the door, the U-lock he had specifically purchased came in handy.

"Perfect, whoever touches this dies."

The guidebook contained an absolute prohibition against damaging school property; if caught, the entire class would be penalized.

Therefore, Aoyama wasn't worried at all that someone would break into his base to check in and kick him out.

"La la la, I'm a little expert at picking mushrooms."

Humming a lighthearted, improvised tune, Aoyama climbed up the cliff and entered the forest, searching everywhere for edible wild fruits and crops.

Wanting to eat a hot meal without having to cook it himself, he planned to barter for food from the other classes.

Scrounging for free meals was not an option.

"Oh, you cute little corn, how did you get discovered by a creepy uncle so easily?" Looking at the small patch of corn that had appeared in his sight, Aoyama revealed a creepy uncle-like grin.

One, two.

Counting as he went, Aoyama happily loaded them into his large backpack, and before long, it was half full.

"Ah, it's the villain Aoyama."

"It seems you haven't had enough of my head-patting technique, little Shiranami."

Hearing the familiar, youthful voice, Aoyama looked up toward the source of the sound.

Appearing alongside the adorable Shiranami was Amikura, who had her hair tied in a long ponytail and looked somewhat awkward.

However, when Amikura saw the cornfield, her awkward expression turned into joy.

Purchasing food and drinking water from the school on a class-by-class basis cost ten exam points per meal, meaning twenty points for two meals a day.

For students, this was an unacceptably high price.

"I'm not little!" Shiranami puffed out her cheeks.

"I'll give this whole cornfield to you both, in exchange for you calling me 'Aoyama the Good Guy' whenever you see me from now on, little Shiranami."

Seeing that Amikura was disappointed after her initial joy, Aoyama knew she intended to follow the rule of first-come, first-served.

After a moment's thought, he decided to use his teasing of Shiranami to offer a benefit to Class B.

In any case, it was impossible for him to guard this cornfield alone at all times, and on the way back and forth, it was likely to be discovered by other classes just as it had been by Shiranami and her friend.

"I... I..."

Faced with the benefits offered by the creepy uncle, the adorable Shiranami hesitated.

Her sense of dedication told her she couldn't refuse something that would benefit her class's exam.

"Just call me that once, and you can have all of this too." Walking up to Shiranami, Aoyama opened his backpack, and the golden corn immediately captivated her eyes.

"Ao... Ao... Aoyama... the Good Guy—"

"Sorry, I don't know anyone who calls me 'Ao-ao-aoyama the Good Guy'."

"Aoyama the Good Guy, is that okay now?"

As if she had crossed a threshold of shyness, Shiranami shouted loudly and reached out with both hands, snatching the backpack from Aoyama.

Then there was the backpack, which was filled with half a bag of corn and felt much heavier than she had anticipated.

The consequence of not exerting enough force was that her petite frame tipped straight forward.

"I know I'm a nice guy, but you don't have to throw yourself into my arms." Stepping forward, Aoyama wrapped one arm around Shiranami's waist and placed his other hand on her back.

The half-full backpack of corn lay quietly at their feet.

"Are you alright, Chihiro?"

With a worried expression on her cute face, Amikura immediately hurried to Shiranami's side.

As she held Shiranami's shoulders to pull her away from Aoyama's embrace, she noticed that Shiranami's eyes had turned into spirals, and not to mention her cheeks, even her ears were dyed a deep shade of red.

"...I'm... I'm... fine." Answering in fragments, Shiranami ducked behind Amikura, not daring to even glance at Aoyama.

"You two go back and call for people first; I'll wait here for you."

Seeing how shy Shiranami was, Aoyama didn't tease her any further and instead got down to business with Amikura.

The sooner someone came to take over, the sooner he could be free; he still planned to spend the remaining time exploring this uninhabited island properly.

Checking the time on his watch, there were only a few hours left before the sun set in the evening.

"That wasn't a joke? Class A doesn't need these supplies?" Amikura was somewhat hesitant, unsure if she should accept them.

"I'm a lone wolf. I plan to spend this exam by myself, and I have no intention of assisting Class A."

After explaining this to Amikura to put her mind at ease, and once the two expressed their gratitude and left, Aoyama had no intention of continuing to harvest.

After waiting for half an hour, Amikura returned with several boys from Class B, each carrying two track jackets, presumably to use as makeshift backpacks.

Fortunately, no students from other classes disturbed them along the way, and Aoyama peacefully handed over the cornfield to Class B.

"Thank you so much, Aoyama-san. I'm Watanabe Norihito." A boy with long bangs covering half his face walked up to Aoyama to express his gratitude.

"Don't mention it. It's useless to me anyway."

Waving his hand, Aoyama shouldered his now-empty backpack and set off on his journey once again.

Chapter 72: Ibuki, Horikita, Shiina

"Horikita, have you studied something before?"

Kushida Kikyo, who had been assigned to Class A, easily dispelled the hostility of the Class A students toward her by relying on her excellent social skills and friends in the class.

Of course, the necessary vigilance remained.

Onodera Kayano, who went to Class B, didn't do anything proactive, yet she was accepted and treated with kindness by the well-behaved students of Class B.

When she straightforwardly helped the Class B students with their work, they became even more affectionate toward her.

For a moment, it even made Onodera consider switching classes.

Compared to the atmosphere in Class D, Class B was on a completely different level.

As for Horikita Suzune, who had proactively chosen Class C, she was currently being kept under constant watch by an unusually energetic tomboy, Ibuki Mio.

Ryuen was certainly not going easy on Horikita Suzune; if she wanted to eat, she had to work for it.

"What if I have, and what if I haven't?" Answering Ibuki indifferently, Horikita continued to hammer the tent stakes into the ground.

"So it seems you have. How about we have a fight to test it out?"

With her eyes gleaming, Ibuki threw away the rock she had been using to hammer the stakes.

Last time, she had been sent by Ryuen to tail Ayanokoji, who was rumored to be quite strong, but after tailing him for several days, she hadn't found anything worth noting about him.

She had even tried bumping into him as if by accident, and he had stumbled from the impact.

Instantly, she lost interest in Ayanokoji.

"A boring provocation. Do you really think I don't know that violent behavior results in disqualification from the exam?"

Assuming this was just a tedious test from Ryuen, Horikita Suzune didn't even bother to give Ibuki a second look.

Did she really think Horikita Suzune would fall for such an idiotic provocation?

Don't underestimate her so much, okay?

"We just won't tell the teachers, that's all. Why is that something to worry about?" Ibuki was relentless; she had been looking for a worthy opponent for a long time.

Being of the same gender was also a plus; she didn't enjoy the feeling of being oppressed by the strength of men.

In terms of height and weight, Horikita Suzune was a well-matched opponent for her.

"That won't do, Ibuki-san."

Smiling with a hint of helplessness, Shiina Hiyori walked up to the two of them.

Having guessed that the combative Ibuki might challenge Horikita, she had been observing them from the sidelines the whole time.

She couldn't help but feel amused by Horikita Suzune's misinterpretation of Ibuki's actions as a provocation.

"Violent behavior is strictly prohibited. Ryuen-kun places great importance on this first special exam."

"Then how about we just tell Sakagami-sensei and get his permission?"

"And can Ibuki-san absolutely guarantee that she won't get hurt? That it won't affect the upcoming exams?" Shiina looked at Ibuki gently, but without the slightest intention of backing down.

"If you were to defeat Horikita-san without sustaining a single injury, Ibuki-san, would that fight truly hold any meaning for you?"

Just as Ibuki was about to retort, Shiina continued speaking, instantly leaving her speechless.

It seemed that what Shiina said was correct; that would indeed be boring.

Unable to help but think this, Ibuki pouted in annoyance and ran off to the side, casting her surveillance mission to the back of her mind.

"My apologies, Horikita-san, the hospitality has been somewhat lacking." Examining Horikita Suzune's appearance closely from up close, Shiina couldn't help but marvel at how she was truly a favorite of the Creator.

To put it simply, she was unfairly cute; looking only at her appearance, there was no one who wouldn't like Horikita Suzune.

Regarding why Aoyama kept running over to the Horikita Dormitory, Shiina began to feel that it was perfectly normal.

However, this time, it seemed Aoyama had really screwed Horikita-san over.

Watching Horikita in her sweat-soaked sportswear, Shiina felt her emotions were somewhat complicated.

She couldn't tell if she was happy or unhappy.

"It's fine, I had already anticipated this."

Merely glancing at Shiina, Horikita lowered her head and continued her work.

With six days left until the end of the exam, she had no intention of pulling any tricks the moment she arrived at Class C.

Anyone with a normal brain would understand that the first few days were when Class C's guard would be at its highest.

"I heard from Aoyama that you also enjoy reading, Horikita-san, and that you've read Farewell, My Lovely." Not deterred by Horikita's coldness, Shiina continued to make conversation, "I really like that book, too."

Heard from Aoyama, huh...

Hearing Aoyama's name from a girl in Class C, the anger and sadness in Horikita Suzune's heart surged once again.

Although she knew it was her own fault for naively trusting an enemy, and that Aoyama was simply acting in accordance with his own position.

But she had clearly trusted Aoyama so much, and had gradually come to view him as her friend.

How could he betray the trust she placed in him without feeling even a shred of guilt?