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

Plus, he worried that someone as unlikable as himself would only tarnish her image, so the first thought that surfaced in his mind was to refuse.

However, after fantasizing about the three of them working together in the student council, she felt herself wavering.

The final result was that the text message, "Does Aoyama-kun also want me to join the student council?" was sent, handing the power of decision over to him.

His reply, however, meant that she should make her own decisions.

Then, Yamamura fell into a new state of confusion, unsure whether she wanted to join the student council or not, and whether he would hate her if she made the wrong choice.

"My thought is that as long as it's a decision Yamamura makes herself, I will support it." Aoyama felt both amused and somewhat helpless; in the end, all that remained was worry.

How could this child be so easy to trick? If someone is just a little nice to her or shows a little concern, she could be completely devoured and left with nothing.

How could anyone feel at ease?

"However, if you can't make a decision next time, just tell me directly."

"For this time, don't join the student council yet. Wait until the day I become student council president, and I will invite you then."

Since she couldn't make the decision herself, Aoyama simply made the choice for her, and he intended to do the same in the future.

As for the consequences of doing so, he was determined to shoulder them.

"Mm, I understand." Looking relieved, Yamamura revealed a smile.

"Remember to listen carefully in the next class. I noticed you didn't really listen during the last one."

Standing up from the bench, Aoyama reached out his right hand toward the now stiff-smiling Yamamura.

Even though she was a bit hesitant, Yamamura still blushed and placed her hand in his, leaving her seat with his help.

Come to think of it, Yamamura's hand was truly small; it was slightly cold yet very soft.

While thinking this, the corners of Aoyama's mouth curled up. "There's less than two minutes until class starts. Let's run, Yamamura. I won't wait for you."

Releasing her soft, boneless little hand, he began to jog.

Glancing at her phone and realizing the fact that she was about to be late, Yamamura stopped caring about maintaining her image in front of Aoyama.

Just like elementary school students chasing each other on campus, the two ran toward the teaching building one after the other.

They returned to the classroom with less than five seconds to spare before class, and the teacher walked in almost right on their heels.

Unsurprisingly, both Aoyama and Yamamura received the attention of many classmates, most of which was focused on Aoyama, carrying a tone of blame for nearly being late.

Before the last class, his hooligan-like, rude behavior had already left a deep impression on everyone.

Does this make me a disappointing handsome guy?

Self-deprecatingly, Aoyama returned to his seat with a smile and opened his book.

Chapter 8: Library NPC

The morning of the third day of school.

The classroom of Class 1-A was a bit noisy because a bald student had brought news of his failure to get into the student council.

This caused the green-haired boy who was always by his side to shout in disbelief.

"Didn't you say you were going to join the student council? I heard from Katsuragi that you didn't even go to the interview. Did you just give up?"

A guest arrived at Aoyama Shiki's desk; at the end of a tall figure, a delicate face showed some dissatisfaction.

The recruitment for the student council and clubs would last until the end of April, but students interested in them would submit applications and interview on the first day, just like Katsuragi, who had already failed his interview.

"I am still preparing something to impress the student council president."

Aoyama gave an explanation to Kamuro, who had come to question him and felt he was playing games with her.

The task entrusted to Yamamura was proceeding smoothly; she was indeed the trump card he had pegged her to be. However, the progress on the other side could not be rushed, so he could only wait patiently.

With the advantage of foresight and knowledge of the school's hidden rules, anyone who didn't cash in was a fool.

And the prerequisite for cashing in was that the other three classes had to develop the rudiments of leadership and the willingness to spend personal points.

As for Class A, it wasn't that he didn't want to cash in, but that he couldn't.

According to the original plot, when the teachers announced the results on May 1st, the class points for Class A were a staggering 940, while Class B, in second place, had 650—a gap of a full 300 points.

The quality of the students in Class A was excellent, but compared to Class B, it wasn't overwhelming.

Aoyama attributed the reason for this result to Katsuragi, who had just failed to get into the student council.

Having served as student council president in middle school, Katsuragi's abilities were undoubtedly excellent.

While happy to help his classmates, he could also handle conflicts between students and offer well-timed advice regarding behavior that violated the student code of conduct.

He was neither servile nor overbearing, and he was courageous in correcting the inappropriate actions of his peers.

In the original work, during the leadership election in early May, Katsuragi was able to gain the support of two-thirds of the students in his class, which well illustrated the recognition he received from the students of Class A.

Moreover, just last night, Katsuragi had visited his dormitory alone, attempting to "lead him back to the right path."

During their conversation, Katsuragi's words and actions didn't make him feel too resistant.

If not for his own reasons, he felt that becoming friends with Katsuragi wouldn't be a bad thing.

"So mysterious."

Seeing that Aoyama Shiki had no intention of telling her what he was doing, Kamuro rolled her eyes and returned to her seat.

Then, Totsuka, who had just been questioning Katsuragi and betting against Aoyama on whether he would fail to get selected, smugly took Kamuro's place.

"Katsuragi-kun said you didn't even dare to attend the student council interview. Could it be that you're afraid of the student council president?"

"If you don't even have that much guts, you'd better just admit defeat early."

If Katsuragi were truly as you described, he wouldn't have so many people trusting him.

Besides, the one who is actually afraid of the student council president is you, isn't it?

Aoyama gave a direct eye-roll at the smug Totsuka.

During the recruitment event at five o'clock yesterday afternoon, Horikita Manabu, as the student council president, naturally made an appearance.

In less than a minute on stage, through sheer presence and demeanor, Horikita Manabu successfully silenced the noisy gymnasium.

Following that, he announced the student council's recruitment criteria, which, no matter how you read it, carried the underlying message that they had no need for trash.

The result was that only two first-year students submitted applications, and both were rejected during the interviews, achieving the feat of having zero first-years join the student council.

"If you're here to increase the stakes, you're welcome, but if you're here to bark like a dog, go find somewhere else." Aoyama's tone was full of disdain.

Coming over to annoy people first thing in the morning—if there weren't so many people around, he would have taught Totsuka a lesson in how to behave.

"How can you be so vulgar!"

"None of your business. If you're bored and have nothing better to do, go jump off a building, or find a toilet and drown yourself in the bowl."

"You! You!"

Like a red-faced monkey, Totsuka let out a few strange cries before leaving in a huff, having made a fool of himself.

With no one blocking his view, Aoyama saw Yamamura's slightly worried little face, her slate-blue side ponytail hanging quietly against her shoulder.

How can you be so cute, Yamamura Miki, you girl.

A smile appeared on his face, and he raised his hand to give Yamamura a victory sign.

Within two seconds, the girl, realizing her gaze had been discovered, turned away with a blushing face.

Another peaceful day.

In his mind, replacing the barking Totsuka with the cute Yamamura, Aoyama Shiki threw himself into his studies.

The time that flowed by afterward was all a calm daily routine.

Until the fifth day of school.

After school today, Aoyama chose not to go to the track to exercise, but instead took his schoolbag and went to the school library for the first time.

Even though it was just a high school library, its vast floor area and beautiful decor were no less impressive than a university-level one, and its collection of books was top-tier.

Because he had intentionally arrived a little late, there were already several students inside reading, their expressions focused and engrossed.

Shiina Hiyori, Shiina Hiyori, Shiina Hiyori...

Thinking of the name of the person he was looking for in his heart, he began his journey to find her.

As a character nicknamed the bookworm and the library NPC, Shiina Hiyori spent most of her free time in the library, so Aoyama wasn't worried about not finding her.

Class 1-B, Class 1-D—the people selling the school's hidden rules were easy to handle, but Class 1-C, where Shiina Hiyori was, was different.

Without interference, the leader of Class 1-C in early May would be Ryuen Kakeru, who relied on violence and fear to maintain his position.

Playing by unconventional rules and using underhanded methods were synonymous with Ryuen Kakeru.

Therefore, Aoyama decided to bring another Class 1-C student to the transaction site, and Shiina, whom Ryuen considered intelligent, was the best candidate.

"Sorry to bother you, are you Shiina-san from Class 1-C?"

After searching for a while, he finally found the girl engrossed in reading under a bookshelf.

With long, lustrous hair like quicksilver cascading to the floor, the girl named Shiina Hiyori was not only extremely cute, but her skin was also exceptionally fair, like fine jade.

Her temperament was somewhat soft, yet she didn't give off a weak impression at all.

"Yes, may I ask who you are?" Moving her gaze away from the book in her hands, Shiina's voice was as pure as a clear spring, extremely pleasant to the ear.

"I am Aoyama Shiki from Class 1-A."

As he spoke, Aoyama sat cross-legged in front of the girl so she wouldn't have to look up at him too much.

"I have information worth millions to Class 1-C, and I would like to trade with both Shiina-san and Ryuen-kun present."

"If Aoyama-kun has information worth millions, you should also know that Class 1-C cannot afford it."

"When dealing with Ryuen-kun, it's better to report a higher amount." Aoyama replied with a smile to Shiina, who had given her answer after only a moment of thought.

"Why me?"

"Because I could tell at a glance that Shiina-san is a smart person."

Staring into Shiina's beautiful purple eyes, Aoyama rested his chin on his fist, his expression calm and confident.

Chapter 9: I Usually Don't Read Books

The business a merchant likes best is one with no capital investment.

It was just a matter of going to a certain place at a certain time to potentially strike a favorable deal; persuading Shiina to accept the invitation was simple.

The time was set for five o'clock next Monday afternoon, and the location was the counseling room next to the teachers' office.

"What kind of books do you usually like to read, Aoyama-kun?"

With the main business concluded, Aoyama had intended to end the conversation, but Shiina did not see it that way.

Five days had passed since the start of the semester, and she had yet to find a classmate to strike up a conversation with and become a reading partner; as for her father, a writer with whom she used to share the joy of reading, she couldn't see him due to school rules.

The boy who had suddenly approached her was good-looking and had a scholarly air about him, so despite the abruptness, she had summoned the courage to ask.

It was a bit sad to discover something wonderful while reading and have no one to share it with.

"I don't usually read books." Aoyama gave his answer without hesitation.

Beneath bangs that brushed her eyebrows, a pair of purple eyes clearly revealed anticipation, followed by a hint of shyness as Shiina hugged her book to her chest.

The girl in his line of sight was, honestly, very cute—cute to the point of being unbearable.

If he were to claim he shared the same interest here, there was no doubt they would become friends, and further development wouldn't be out of the question.

However, there were lines to be drawn between acceptable and unacceptable lies.

"I see... I'm sorry, that was abrupt of me, Aoyama-kun." Shiina lowered her gaze, her voice growing a little softer.

"This isn't something you need to apologize for." Aoyama propped himself up with his right hand and slowly stood up. "When I eventually take a liking to reading, I'll trouble you to recommend some books to me, Shiina-san."

Back in middle school, he had always ranked in the top three of the entire school to secure his scholarship.

Behind those excellent grades was the self-discipline of long hours of hard study, and that hadn't changed since entering Kouiku.

Coupled with the energy spent on physical exercise, Aoyama only wanted to rest during his fragmented free time; reading extracurricular books was out of the question.

"Then please let me look forward to that day."

"Just a little bit of anticipation is fine; if you expect too much, I'll feel guilty if I can't deliver."