What Mind Games? You Two Are Just a Pair of Fools / When There Are More People Around, It's Actually Harder to Be Misunderstood ...

"Heaven? Not quite."

Ayanokoji Kiyohime picked up a skewer and took a bite. She chewed slowly, with great elegance. But she wasn't so slow that she lingered over it; she soon finished the skewer. "There's no way you can get a hundred thousand points every month with this many points."

"Yeah, there's no way. It's a real shame."

The real estate agent shook his head. "You're smart, but your one weakness is that you haven't had much interaction with people. Honestly, coming to this school was the worst choice you could have made."

"The worst choice?"

"You're smart and calm. If you spent three years at an ordinary high school, even without many friends, you'd get a basic understanding of how to interact with people. But unfortunately, strength comes first at this school. You might not learn much here."

With a bamboo skewer between his teeth, the real estate agent opened a can of beer for Ayanokoji. "You know, anyone who's seen you can tell you're unusual. You've never tried to understand what other people are like. You don't have anything to compare yourself to, so you don't know what an ordinary person is like. You don't understand the ways of the world, so some of your behavior comes across as downright ridiculous."

"Like what?"

"Like your scores. Tell me, how many points did you get in each of the five subjects on the entrance exam?"

"Fifty-one in all of them. Is there a problem with that?"

"Oh, there's a big problem."

The real estate agent chuckled. He pulled out his phone, found the class entrance exam scores he'd asked their teacher, Kazuma Sakagami, for on the way back, and handed it to Ayanokoji. "You think everyone's scores should be randomly distributed between one and a hundred, right? But that's not how it works. These are the test scores of the students in my class. Honestly, I held back on this exam too, but compared to you, I don't stand out at all, do I?"

Taking the phone, Ayanokoji scrolled through everyone's test scores.

No one had gotten a perfect score, and the highest was only ninety-four. Most people scored somewhere in the sixties or seventies. There were occasional scores in the fifties or forties, but only a handful were below forty.

"Your lack of common sense made you think getting fifty-one in every subject was the right way to go. It wasn't. You should've gotten somewhere between sixty and seventy in each subject. I also got the entrance exam papers from our teacher, so take a look at those too."

After taking his phone back, the real estate agent searched for the exam papers. He found them quickly and handed them to Ayanokoji again. "The questions range in difficulty. If you really want to hold back, you have to figure out which questions are easy and which are hard. Don't get some right and some wrong at random. Get the easy ones right and the hard ones wrong. You'll have to hold back on future exams too, right? So remember these basics."

What Kind of Mind Games? You Two Are More Like a Pair of Fools

The real estate agent was genuinely planning to give Ayanokoji a proper lesson.

Why? Because she was a good chess piece.

Who were Class C's rivals? Classes A and B.

The kids in Class B were all well-behaved. They were easy to push around however he liked. That left Class A as the only real opponent.

Was everyone in Class A difficult to deal with? No. The only one who was hard to handle was Sakayanagi Arisu. Katsuragi Kohei? He was too conservative and cautious, which made it easy for the incompetent fools around him to drag him down.

Because he was cautious, he didn't dare make trade-offs, and he wasn't decisive enough. The real estate agent had already figured out how to trip them up. All he needed was for Ryuen Shoko's side to put in a little effort.

He didn't expect her to do anything special. All he needed was one loyal lackey.

"Lackey" was an exaggeration, of course, but he needed someone obedient enough to go all out for her.

So who was the best fit?

Yamada Albert? Maybe he was a little too big, but the real estate agent could still find a way to "weaken" him a bit.

In the original story, the real estate agent thought it was idiotic when Ryuen Kakeru sent Komiya Togo, Kondo Reon, and Ishizaki Daichi to beat up Ken Sudō.

Three against one, and you still couldn't beat him? That looked suspicious, no matter how you saw it. Didn't they know how to make it one against three? Or find a passerby to serve as a witness?

It was fine to pick a spot without cameras, but surely you could bring your own camera. Get someone to film nearby, and you'd have physical evidence too.

But honestly, would that plan work? It would. But Ryuen Kakeru had somehow managed to turn a good hand into a mess. With his level of intelligence, calling him a B was generous.

First, why go after Class D? What was so special about them? Wouldn't it be better to bully Class A instead?

Second, sure, Ken Sudō wasn't very bright, but was Totsuka Yahiko any smarter? Wasn't he easier to deal with than Sudō? Just insult that self-righteous Class A lackey a little, and he'd lose his temper. Say a few more words, and he might actually throw a punch.

After all, people did all sorts of things when they were angry. He'd hit you, you'd pretend to be dead, and then a passerby would happen to see the whole thing. Maybe a photographer would accidentally capture it, too. Great, you'd have witnesses and evidence. What could he say then?

As for the injuries... that was why the real estate agent said they needed a lackey. The guy had to be willing to go hard on himself.

He could throw himself against a wall and hit it hard enough to get hurt. You might say that would look fake and no one would believe it... Who would know? All anyone would have were the witnesses and evidence, and those would show what happened after the fight. How would they know you'd injured yourself?

See? With a few tweaks, Ryuen Kakeru's plan would be perfect. All he needed was to lure them into a trap.

Then Class A would get punished.

After that, he could strike again by using someone else to do the dirty work. Someone like Totsuka was made to be used. Was it hard to get one more use out of a fool? Not at all. Use Class D to take down Class A. Perfect. One more blow, and Class A would be in chaos right from the start.

Once Katsuragi was forced out and Sakayanagi took over, he could have her old rival, Ayanokoji, drag her into a fierce contest and refuse to let her leave. The two of them would start fighting openly and behind the scenes, while the real estate agent quietly watched from the sidelines. Perfect.

He thought his plan was flawless... Too bad he didn't know that Sakayanagi had her eye on him now too.

So why was he getting close to Ayanokoji now? He knew what would happen to her later.

If things had gone normally, she would have spent three ordinary years at high school. But Chabashira Sae wasn't willing to let that happen. She wanted Ayanokoji to get involved. Honestly, much of what Ayanokoji did later in Classroom of the Elite was because of Chabashira Sae. She was the one who pushed Ayanokoji into this whirlpool, and now there was no escaping it.

Did the real estate agent want to save Ayanokoji Kiyohime? He didn't. He couldn't do anything about Chabashira Sae.

He only hoped he could stay out of trouble. For instance... by turning Ayanokoji Kiyohime's attention toward Class A.

There was no need to talk about Class B. So what if they became Class A? A bunch of little angels were too easy to deal with. There was no challenge. So Class C's strategy was to drag Class A into the mess and keep Class D pinned underwater.

Class D had too many incompetent fools. As long as they were there, he didn't need to worry about the class. He only had to win Ayanokoji over. As long as she didn't focus on Class C, the class would be safe for at least their first year.

What about the second and third years? Who knew? They'd take it one step at a time. Even the author hadn't finished writing the second year, so how could anyone know what would happen? If the situation turned unstable, he'd just keep his head down again.

Worst case, he'd save up twenty million points during his first year and transfer to Class A when it was time to graduate.

Why else would the real estate agent help Ayanokoji now? It was only natural to slip in a few personal motives while helping someone, right?

As long as she understood that he was "helping" her, that was enough. On the surface, it was help. In reality... was it manipulation?

No, it hadn't gone that far.

"Try to spend more time talking with the other girls. I can help with that. You can just relax and be an unsophisticated little princess. Put your powers of observation and intelligence to good use, and pay close attention to what the girls are like. And don't worry about offending anyone. Honestly, being 'unsophisticated' can be an advantage sometimes."

The real estate agent began guiding Ayanokoji Kiyohime. He told her what ordinary people were really like, while figuring out how to help her pass herself off as a little princess.

Well, there was no need to pretend. She really did have the bearing of a little princess.

As a perfect creation, she was naturally expected to develop into the perfect woman. She excelled in every aspect: virtue, intelligence, physical fitness, beauty, and labor. That was a given.

Uh... she probably had the intelligence part down. She just wasn't very good at scheming. She'd probably lived by the rule that might made right. She didn't know how to use underhanded tactics. Otherwise, how could she and Ryuen make such a perfect pair of fools?

Nine out of ten plans got people expelled, and the other one earned them a disciplinary warning. A proper strategist would find a way to keep herself out of it.

That's right, I'm talking about myself, the real estate agent~

All right, enough rambling. While Ayanokoji was busy absorbing knowledge, the real estate agent took out his phone and made a call.

"Brrr... Hello? Is this Hoya?"

The call went through quickly, and the real estate agent wasn't surprised.

Because he'd called Ichinose.

"Is that you, Ichinose? Are you free right now? I've got a problem child here who needs your help. Could you lend a hand?"

"I see. Where should I meet you?"

"Um... let me check first. Would the boys' dorm be a little inappropriate?"

The Twenty-Eighth Chapter: When More People Are Around, There's Less Room for Misunderstandings

The boys' dormitory was a strange place.

It seemed that it wasn't just at this school. Especially in China, a girl entering the boys' dorm wasn't likely to be criticized too harshly.

She might attract a lot of attention, but no one would pick on her for it. Unlike when a boy entered the girls' dorm. He'd have to keep his head down, avoid looking around, and even bend over while he did anything, like some kind of servant.

And if he ran into a few boxers, trouble could find him even if he hadn't done anything.

For Ichinose, the boys' dorm was a little too stimulating. But she trusted the real estate agent well enough. He was an angel, after all. That was only natural.

She didn't think he'd do anything to her in the boys' dormitory, especially with a problem child there too.

The real estate agent had also told her a little about the problem child. Once she learned that it was another girl, she relaxed and didn't turn down his request.

She really was free right now.

She'd just left the library and was about to go have dinner when she got the real estate agent's call. And when he mentioned that he had some barbecue for her to eat, she was just a tiny bit tempted.

For girls, barbecue and desserts could be irresistible. And there was oden too.

All right, between the food and the chance to help someone, she chose to head to the real estate agent's room. More importantly, he wasn't the kind of student who was up to no good.

He might have been a little mischievous, but doing anything against her will here... That was impossible.

So it didn't take long for her to reach the place he'd mentioned over the phone. She knocked gently on the door.

"Oh, Ichinose! Come in, come in. I need your help."

The real estate agent was thrilled that Ichinose had arrived. This was a great opportunity—a way to keep Classes B and D from fighting.

Who would lead Class D in the future? It would be Horikita and Ayanokoji. Hm? What about Hirata and Kushida? Well... forget them. They weren't quite on that level.

They might be able to match wits with Ryuen, as long as he didn't resort to violence. As for intellectual battles, they'd probably lose to Shiina.

Everyone knew the smartest person in Class C was Shiina, not Ryuen Kakeru, the gorilla who called himself king... Or maybe she was a gorilla queen now? Well, it didn't matter.

With Ichinose and himself involved, Ayanokoji obviously wouldn't target Classes B or C first. That left Class A. The four-way contest between the classes was a little more complicated than the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu, but only a little. Classes B and C would ally, Class D wouldn't fight B and C, and all three classes would focus their fire on Class A. If Class A could hold out under those circumstances, the real estate agent would have to praise them as society's elite.

The real estate agent hadn't noticed that when he brought Ichinose into the dorm, his neighbor saw them again.

"Oh no! Why has the class rep fallen into the hands of a womanizer too...?"

The cute boy looked utterly horrified, almost as if he wanted to scream.

But the real estate agent knew nothing about it. All he wanted was for Ichinose to help him solve Ayanokoji's problem.

It would have been great if he could contact Kushida too, but... honestly, although he'd chatted with Kushida for a while, they hadn't added each other as friends.

Wait, Ayanokoji probably had Kushida's contact, right?

All right, he'd ask her later. First, he'd deal with the situation with Ichinose.

"Ichinose, let me introduce you. This is Ayanokoji Kiyohime. She's... Well, how should I put it?"

How to describe her had become a problem. The real estate agent couldn't exactly say that she'd escaped from the White Room, so he had to change a few details. Just like the story he'd told Kamuro Masumi yesterday.

There was no way he'd tell her about the Second Ring. Of course he'd say Tokyo!

"She ran away from home. She's a young lady, and she's been studying at home for years, so her social skills are practically zero. She doesn't even know what an ordinary girl is like. I was hoping you could help her out and spend time with her so she can fit into society more easily."

As he spoke, the real estate agent leaned in and whispered to Ichinose, "She's completely unsophisticated, so she needs help from a kind, helpful classmate like you."

"Huh? No, no, I'm not that nice. But don't worry, Ayanokoji. I'll definitely help you."

Ichinose held Ayanokoji's hand, her eyes filled with determination.

"Um... all right."

That was a great attitude. Just like a young lady.

The real estate agent nodded from the side and reached out a hand. "Ayanokoji, could I borrow your phone? I don't have Kushida's contact information, and I think she'd be able to help too."

"You mean Kushida Kikyo? I have her contact information."

Ichinose smiled and waved her phone, but the real estate agent shook his head. "No, better to use Ayanokoji's phone. Otherwise, it might be harder to explain later."

That was right. Contacting Kushida through Ichinose's phone was different from contacting her through Ayanokoji's. If he used the former, Kushida might easily get the idea that he'd done something to Ichinose.

Ayanokoji handed him her phone. Since the school year had only just started, she was at her easiest to handle right now. It'd be harder to fool her once she understood a bit about human relations.

"Is this Kushida? It's the real estate agent. Right, Ayanokoji's got a little problem. Could you come over? Yeah... to my room. Don't worry, Ichinose is here too. Right, right. Come on over. I'll send you the address."

If a man and a woman alone in a room made things awkward, three girls and one boy would actually dispel that awkwardness.

Especially since the real estate agent didn't look like the sort of student who was up to no good. That made it easier for the girls to relax.

The real estate agent wasn't planning to do anything to them. A moment of pleasure was one thing, but if he ended up in prison afterward, he'd have plenty to cry about. It wasn't worth it.

Take it slow and steady. There was no need to rush things.

It wasn't long before the neighbor stared in shock as a third girl entered the room.

"No, wait. If there are three girls, then it can't be what I thought. Yeah, definitely not. The class rep is a good student. How could she do something like that? I must've misunderstood her. I definitely did."

The silly boy kept mumbling to himself, but at least he managed to calm down his restless mind.

Like I said, if a man and a woman were alone in a room, you couldn't be sure what they were doing. But a man and three women... Unless the man had amazing stamina, people generally wouldn't think they were doing anything weird.

The Thirtieth Chapter: Which Bastard? Which Bastard's Spreading Rumors About Me?!

"Huh? A young lady!"

Kushida hadn't expected Ayanokoji to have that kind of background. Her reaction was the same as Ichinose's.

Indeed, if you imagined the White Room as the mansion of some great family, then the real estate agent's story wasn't wrong at all.