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

With a light chuckle in response to Shiina's smile, Aoyama left the library and headed straight for the playground.

Exercise, eat, study, wash up, and sleep.

The first vacation for the first-year students at Kouiku had arrived just as the sun rose.

On a bright, sunny day with no classes, most students chose to sleep in and then head to Keyaki Mall to have a blast with their friends.

Aoyama, however, chose to study, accompanied by the tools he had pre-arranged.

"The 'important matter' you needed me for is studying? Please explain yourself, Aoyama Shiki."

In the boys' dormitory, the second girl to arrive sat down with a look of annoyance, slamming the school bag she had been asked to bring onto the table.

A new 1.5 by 1.5-meter square table had recently been added, and now three people sat around it.

"Studying is an important matter at this school, because failing an exam means expulsion." Looking up to face the disgruntled Kamuro, Aoyama threw out one of the school's hidden rules.

When entering Kouiku, excellent students are prioritized for Class A, but that doesn't mean every student in Class A has good grades.

And among those at the bottom of the Class A rankings was Kamuro.

"How did you know that?"

Although she was a bit surprised, Kamuro didn't seem to doubt him.

After all, on the first day of school, Aoyama had made her realize that this school wasn't as wonderful as she had imagined.

"For that, we have our capable Yamamura to thank." While praising Yamamura, Aoyama quietly categorized Kamuro into the same camp.

Before Kamuro could react, he played a clipped recording on his phone.

[No review during summer vacation? Are you trying to fail the midterm and get expelled?]

"Yamamura recorded this while secretly following a second-year senior. It's authentic."

"There should be more to what was recorded than just this, right?"

Kamuro retorted. Seeing Aoyama's mysterious demeanor, she felt that the reason so many upperclassmen were expelled wasn't just because of failing exams.

Aoyama made a money-counting gesture with his fingers. "Lend me 50,000 private points, and I'll take you to do something very interesting next Monday."

"I have a feeling you're going to borrow this and never pay it back."

"If... if you don't mind, I still have 90,000 points here that I can give to Aoyama-kun."

After Kamuro frowned and remained noncommittal, Yamamura interjected timidly, leaving Kamuro speechless.

"There are still over twenty days until next month's point distribution. What are you going to eat later if you lend all your points to this jerk Aoyama?"

"...I haven't even agreed yet, how did I become a jerk?" Sighing slightly, Aoyama tapped Yamamura's forehead with his pencil. "Being this good to me will spoil me into a useless person."

There was no mention of "lending" in Yamamura's words, and unlike with Kamuro, he felt this wasn't because Yamamura had forgotten to say it.

Giving away 90,000 private points just like that—who could handle that?

"Show me your phone ID, I'll transfer them to you."

Just as Yamamura was anxiously explaining that she didn't mean it that way, Kamuro reached out toward the phone Aoyama had placed on the table, opening her own personal terminal as well.

It showed that the account holder still had over 70,000 private points.

Having spent over 20,000 in less than six days, she wasn't being overly extravagant, nor was she being particularly frugal.

"Who else did you borrow private points from?" After taking the phone Aoyama handed over, Kamuro felt completely unsettled.

Aoyama's personal terminal showed he still had over 140,000 private points, nearly double hers.

"Secret."

"What are you planning to buy with so many private points?"

"You'll find out after school on Monday." Aoyama continued to keep her in suspense.

For the transaction scheduled for Monday, he had invited two students each from Classes B, C, and D. Kamuro was responsible for holding down the fort, and this was also a move to drag her onto his ship.

As for Yamamura, she would naturally continue to stay behind the scenes; showing herself to Classes B, C, and D now would only bring disadvantages.

"Next Monday again."

Though somewhat dissatisfied, Kamuro understood she couldn't force Aoyama.

They had known each other for almost a week, and she could tell that Aoyama was the type who responded to soft tactics rather than hard ones. Perhaps if she acted spoiled, she could find out in advance.

But that was impossible!

To act spoiled toward this jerk, who was less confident than he was arrogant—she would rather let him die.

"For now, let's start reviewing. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me or Yamamura."

"What makes you assume that both you and Yamamura have better grades than me?" Kamuro pulled a long face.

It hadn't even been seven days since enrollment, and the first-year students hadn't taken a unified exam yet.

Although she didn't think her grades were particularly great, they weren't so bad that she was beneath human consideration.

"I was in the top three of my entire middle school, and Yamamura is said to have been in the top thirty. What about you?"

Having arrived at a field where he could show off, the smile on Aoyama's face could only be described as exceptionally smug.

Chapter 10: A Villain Should Look the Part

On the morning of Sunday, the seventh day since the start of school.

Aoyama realized he had forgotten something.

Through the contact information obtained via Karuizawa, the two popular students from Class D had both accepted his invitation for Monday, and he had also invited Ryuen from Class C using the phone number provided by Shiina.

When it came to Class B, he discovered that he didn't have the contact information for a single student from that class on his phone.

The antisocial Kamuro and the low-presence Yamamura, unsurprisingly, had no friends in Class B either.

It shouldn't be a problem to ask them on the day of, right?

After hesitating in his dorm room, Aoyama ultimately chose to head out to see if he could run into any first-year Class B students.

As long as he bumped into any student from Class B, he would be able to get the phone number he needed.

[I'm treating you to lunch and shopping at Keyaki Mall at noon; feel free to bring your friends along.]

After changing into casual clothes and throwing on a light jacket, Aoyama sent a text to Karuizawa.

As his ostensible childhood friend, it was natural for him to treat Karuizawa's friends; under the influence of his sugar-coated bullets, he figured they would be more supportive of her.

If he happened to run into a Class B student along the way, it would be killing two birds with one stone.

Karuizawa Kei: [So sudden?]

Aoyama Shiki: [This is an order. Let me know when you've set a time, and I'll be waiting for you at Keyaki Mall.]

Aoyama didn't have any particular issues with Karuizawa.

It was just that a villain should look the part; being too nice might just make her push her luck.

That would only lead to trouble for himself later on.

He put on his shoes and left the dormitory. Walking along the paved path, Aoyama noticed many other students with the same goal as him.

Perhaps because it was still the beginning of the month, many students had some spare cash, and since this was the first holiday since school started, it was only natural to hang out with friends he hadn't seen in a while.

Damn it, I miscalculated.

Just as he arrived at the entrance of Keyaki Mall, Aoyama felt a twinge of regret for having sent that text to Karuizawa first.

His target, Class B representative Ichinose Honami, was currently within his line of sight.

Surrounded by several cute girls, the smile on Ichinose's even cuter face seemed as moving as it was healing, and her pink hair was bright and silky.

She must be waiting for someone.

Speculating on the reason for the Class B gathering, Aoyama walked straight toward Ichinose.

Such an obvious move was quickly noticed by the sharp-eyed Class B students; a girl with short brown hair and a cherry blossom hairpin pointed in his direction, her mouth moving as she spoke.

One after another, the girls, including Ichinose, focused their gazes squarely on him.

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

"Although it's a bit abrupt, I have something I'd like to discuss with Ichinose-san and Kanzaki-san. The time is Monday at 5:00 PM, and the location is the counseling room next to the teachers' office."

To avoid rumors about him hitting on Ichinose, Aoyama took the initiative as he approached, pointing out that he wasn't just inviting Ichinose, but also their classmate Kanzaki Ryuji.

This way, no one would be inconvenienced.

"I am personally free, but I'm not sure if Kanzaki-san is available."

"Let's exchange contact information. I'll get in touch with you as soon as I have an answer, Aoyama-san."

Patting the girl who was holding her arm, Ichinose freed her right hand and took out her phone, naturally exchanging contact information with Aoyama.

"Then I won't disturb you any further. I hope you all have a good time."

With his goal achieved and facing numerous inquisitive gazes, Aoyama immediately took his leave.

"See you on Monday, Aoyama-san."

"Yeah, see you then."

Waving back at the waving Ichinose, Aoyama walked into Keyaki Mall.

As a fully equipped commercial shopping center, the directory on the first floor listed a row of shop names; cafes, electronics stores, hair salons, and karaoke—everything one could need was there.

For a student body of only a few hundred, it even had a movie theater.

As expected of Ichinose Honami, that was truly a 'violently' charming smile.

Looking at the directory and pondering where to wait for Karuizawa, Aoyama couldn't help but have the image of Ichinose Honami flash through his mind.

With top-tier looks and that rule-breaking charisma, she had instantly left a deep impression on him, making it difficult to even consider her an enemy.

It wouldn't be strange at all if she were later dubbed the school's Great Angel.

"It's just that you're too easy to bully, Ichinose."

Speaking softly to the empty air, Aoyama decided on his next target.

He had not only set the place to wait for Karuizawa and her friends, but also determined his next target for plunder after Class D.

For a girl who values her classmates more than herself, her weaknesses were simply too numerous.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Aoyama."

After waiting for over an hour in the stylishly decorated cafe, Karuizawa finally appeared in Aoyama's line of sight, accompanied by two other girls.

The girl with long, wavy brown hair introduced herself as Sato Maya, while the one with short black hair was named Shinohara Satsuki.

He could see faint traces of makeup on both girls' faces.

Although they were both quite cute, they were still a notch below Karuizawa.

"Feel free to order whatever you'd like; it's my treat today." After introducing himself as well, Aoyama placed the menu between Sato and Shinohara across from him.

The goal of meeting Ichinose had been achieved, and now it was time to help Karuizawa solidify her status among the girls.

"Karuizawa can be a bit strong-willed and occasionally acts foolish, so I hope you two will be patient with her in the future."

"Is this supposed to be a bribe to win us over? It looks like we don't need to worry about saving money for Aoyama-kun then."

Glancing at Karuizawa, who had suddenly pulled a dissatisfied face, and then at the gently smiling Aoyama, the tension in Sato's heart dissipated significantly, and her tone became more casual.

"When have I ever acted foolish? Shinohara, Sato, you two go ahead and order whatever you want, don't be polite with him at all."

Faced with Sato's slightly teasing smile, Karuizawa expressed her dissatisfaction just right, instantly dispelling the stiff atmosphere between them.

Soon, even Shinohara, who had been a bit insecure in the presence of a handsome boy like Aoyama, joined in the banter teasing Karuizawa.

The meal ended with everyone satisfied, and their conversation was no longer awkward.

For the next activity, which was shopping together, Aoyama secretly bought three identical accessories along the way—neither cheap nor overly expensive—and gave them to the three girls on the way back to the dorms.

"I hope the three of you can always get along well."

After saying this, he borrowed Karuizawa away amidst the light laughter and nods of Shinohara and Sato.

"After five o'clock tomorrow afternoon, be ready to post the truth about the school that I told you about earlier into the class group chat."