Scheming in the real world? I can also do a little.

Hoya Chukai gave the back of the real estate agent a heavy pat, then Ryuen Shoko picked up her food and left the table, leaving only Hoya Chukai behind.

A greedy subordinate, huh? I'll have to keep a close eye on him from now on. People like this are far too easy to buy off.

Ryuen Shoko's gaze grew increasingly fierce as she held her meal, but Hoya Chukai remained completely unaware of any of this.

Chapter 10: The King Needs You, and I Need You

"Phew, I survived."

Regardless of anything else, having escaped from Ryuen Shoko's clutches, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but pat his own chest.

That was way too dangerous; as expected, Ryuen Shoko is just too terrifying.

As for what she said just now? Hoya Chukai didn't take it to heart.

Isn't it just some PUA tactics? It's not like he hasn't seen that before. He'd encountered it plenty of times back in university, so while he was scared in the moment, now that it was over, he wasn't going to stay scared forever.

He refused to believe that he could lose to this little girl.

Well, okay, he'd probably still chicken out the next time he saw her.

Lost in thought, Hoya Chukai wandered around aimlessly.

In this high school, there was no such thing as evening self-study, so he really didn't know what to do with himself after school.

Hmm... go to the library to borrow some books? Then go buy some things?

Yeah, let's do that.

Besides, if he went to the library, he might even run into the person he wanted to meet—Shiina Hiyori.

Shiina Hiyori was no simple little girl. She looked like a goody-two-shoes, but to be able to enter Class C instead of the "goody" Class B, she must have had her own exceptional qualities.

As for what those qualities might be... Hoya Chukai didn't know, but he wanted to get to know her properly.

He didn't know Shiina Hiyori's stats, otherwise he might have understood why this goody-two-shoes ended up in Class C.

Academic Ability A, Intelligence A-, Judgment E, Physical Ability E, Teamwork D. The school's evaluation was: a bookworm who only knows how to study; poor at both teamwork and physical activities, and lacks the ability to make independent decisions, making her unsuitable to be a social elite.

But was her judgment really that pathetic? Hoya Chukai didn't know, so he intended to find out more about this student.

As for that test, he had experienced it himself, and how should he put it... it was extremely one-sided.

After all, if Ryuen Shoko could be rated B in intelligence, just like her physical ability, it showed just how biased the test was.

In the fanfiction, his own IQ didn't seem particularly outstanding, but his physical ability was actually decent due to his body's constitution.

His IQ could only be described as average—perhaps a little bit smarter than the average person—but his physical ability was definitely higher than the average person.

"Sigh... sure enough, you plant a willow and it grows, but you plant a flower and it doesn't bloom."

After searching the library for a long time, Hoya Chukai still hadn't found Shiina Hiyori. He had expected to run into the female leader of Class B just by grabbing a meal, so why couldn't he find her in the library?

Oh, right, now that Ryuen Shoko had become Ryuen Shoko, Shiina Hiyori probably wasn't considered the female leader anymore, right?

Whatever, finding Shiina Hiyori was just a side task; he was mainly here to find books.

What should he read...

As he thought, his eyes drifted to a book on the shelf that he had read back in high school—A Brief History of Time.

Life as a high schooler on Earth was truly nostalgic. Even though life back then was more exhausting than a dog's, he really missed it.

There was no need to think about so much; every day was just studying and more studying. If he didn't want to attend class, he would slack off, like reading A Brief History of Time during physics class.

Although he understood less and less of it as he went on, he really did love that book. Seeing it again now, he couldn't help but pull it off the shelf.

Since he had entered high school all over again, perhaps... he could read it one more time.

He also read the Four Great Classical Novels, but finding them in Japan wasn't easy. Rather than hunting for them, he preferred to read this book.

God knows what kind of state foreign countries would translate the Four Great Classical Novels into. If Water Margin could be translated as The Story of 105 Men and 3 Women, he didn't even want to imagine what a Japanese translation would look like.

"Do you... also like reading?"

Damn it, it really was a case of "you plant a willow and it grows."

Hoya Chukai turned around with a deadpan expression to look at Shiina Hiyori, who was curiously asking him a question.

Young lady, where did you run off to? I looked for you twice just a moment ago, and the moment I come over to grab a book, you just appear?

"What makes you think I love reading?"

"Hehe, after all, you're holding A Brief History of Time. Generally speaking, students who don't like to read would shy away the moment they saw this book, right?"

No, you might be wrong. Students who don't like to read might just not like reading textbooks. Don't they read web novels with great enthusiasm?

Forget it, he didn't feel like arguing with this girl.

"Maybe I just like physics?"

"That's also loving to read. Math, science, and chemistry are all related. If you like reading physics books, it means you'll read other books too, and to understand these, your Japanese language skills certainly can't be bad. So, your theory that you love reading is correct."

Ah... yes, yes, you're right about everything.

Did he not know whether he loved reading or not?

Hoya Chukai didn't say much more, deciding to just let her have the win: "There's no prize for getting it right, you know."

"Then how about you give me a reward?"

"A reward? What do you want?"

"Tell me... why you were looking for me just now, how about that?"

Shiina Hiyori's words made Hoya Chukai's eyes widen slightly: "How did you know..."

"You circled the library twice just now; I don't believe you were looking for books. And the expression you had when I called out to you was clearly that of someone thinking, 'I'd already given up, so why did the target appear now?' It's obvious you were looking for me."

Watching Shiina Hiyori's smile, Hoya Chukai couldn't help but sigh.

He finally understood the level of intelligence this girl possessed; she was truly a woman even more formidable than Ryuen Shoko.

"Fine, but are you sure you want to talk about it here?"

"Hmm... then let's go over there to talk."

Shiina Hiyori pointed to the side, signaling for Hoya Chukai to follow her.

The place Shiina pointed to was the balcony. There were no books there, and it was currently empty, making it a suitable place for a private conversation.

The two arrived at the balcony. Shiina Hiyori felt the breeze brushing against her face and squinted slightly, looking quite content: "So, Hoya-kun, why did you come looking for me?"

"...Regarding Ryuen in our class, what is your take on her?"

"Eh, I thought you would continue to refer to her as the King."

"That was just to keep her happy."

"Eh~ so Hoya-kun is a scumbag."

Watching Shiina Hiyori cover her mouth and giggle, Hoya Chukai twitched his lips.

How had he not noticed this girl was so... cheeky?

Wasn't she supposed to be a well-behaved girl?

So it's true that well-behaved girls are all dark on the inside, right?

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore."

Turning her gaze back to the distance, Shiina Hiyori sighed softly: "It's fine for you all to fight amongst yourselves, but why did you come looking for me?"

"The King needs you, and I... I need you too."

Chapter 11: Kamuro, why are you stealing things again!

"Eh? Why would such misleading words come out of Hoya-kun's mouth? I thought you only had Ryuen-san in your heart."

"Who would have her in their heart... No, wait, why are my words misleading!"

Hoya Chukai patted his chest: "I'm being very serious. I feel that by her side, she needs an external brain to keep her from doing anything reckless."

"Then wouldn't Hoya-kun alone be enough? Why say you need me?"

Shiina turned back to look at Hoya Chukai. Her expression was strange, a look Hoya Chukai didn't know how to describe.

Like... a doll that would shatter at the slightest touch?

"Because... I'm not omnipotent. What is your intelligence rating, Shiina-san?"

"A-."

"I'm only a C."

"Eh? Only a C? But you did so well this afternoon, Hoya-kun."

Shiina Hiyori opened her mouth slightly; she couldn't understand why Hoya Chukai would only be at a C level.

Logically speaking, if he wasn't an A, he should at least be an A-.

But Hoya Chukai knew his own situation best. He just happened to know more information than others; as for how smart he actually was... that wasn't it.

He was just an ordinary person, unable to compare to the monsters around him.

"It was just a coincidence. I did well this time, but what about next time? Or the time after that? I am well aware of my own level, so I need someone who can assist me, at least... to raise objections when I make the wrong choices."

"But... I don't like you all engaging in these struggles."

"No, not internal, but external."

"External?"

"You probably don't know about the S Points, do you?"

Since it was the first day, Shiina Hiyori naturally didn't understand S Points, so Hoya Chukai explained the situation regarding the points and the necessity for the classes to compete.

"But... no, I don't think I'm cut out for this."

"But if we fail, a greater disaster will befall Class C."

Hoya Chukai pressed his palms together and bowed to Shiina Hiyori: "Please, Shiina-san. I don't expect you to devise strategies, but at least, if my actions or Ryuen's are wrong, I really hope you can stand up and cast a dissenting vote."

"So you need me?"

"Yes. How can those inside the game see the truth as clearly as those on the outside? You have always been an outsider, so you are the most capable of seeing the actual situation clearly. We need you, really."

Hoya Chukai needed Shiina Hiyori; he needed her brain. Just as he needed the strength of Ryuen Shoko.

Shiina Hiyori's brain and Ryuen Shoko's brute force would be the strongest spear and shield of Class C; both were indispensable.

In those fanfictions, these two never once cooperated, which was why Class C experienced such wild fluctuations, but now that Hoya Chukai had entered Class C, he naturally couldn't bear to see the class be treated like a doormat; even if they didn't aim to become Class A, they certainly couldn't end up like Class D.

His words made Shiina Hiyori nod, as she already felt the heavy responsibility resting on her shoulders.

She did indeed hate conflict, but if she wasn't being asked to initiate a fight, but rather to prevent a battle that was destined to be lost, she was willing to do it.

"Then, Hoya-kun, please wait a moment."

As she spoke, Shiina Hiyori ran back to the spot where she had been reading earlier and rummaged through her bag.

Looking at the spot where Shiina Hiyori had been curled up, Hoya Chukai finally understood why he hadn't been able to find her.

He had been searching for her near the desks the whole time; who would have guessed that she, being so fond of reading, would be sitting directly beneath the bookshelf? If his attention hadn't been focused there, he never would have found her.

"Alright, I'll lend you this book."

"This book is?"

Hoya Chukai looked at the book in his hand titled Arrow of Time, written by Koveni.

"I don't know if you like mystery novels, but this is the only physics-related book I've read, so borrow it and take a look first. If you want me to help you... then read this book thoroughly, and when the time comes, let's discuss books together, okay?"

"Uh... alright."

Just how much does this girl love reading? Looking back at those fanfictions, it seemed like everyone always met her in the library, from which Hoya Chukai could deduce that she truly loved doing this kind of thing.

Fine, fine, as long as you're happy.

Sighing, Hoya Chukai tucked the book away: "Then I'll leave this matter to you, Shiina-san."

"Of course, you can count on me~"

Having obtained Shiina Hiyori's agreement, the heart that had been hanging in Hoya Chukai's chest finally settled.

With his contingency plans fully prepared, the next step was... to play as he pleased.

After putting both books into his bag, Hoya Chukai headed toward the dorms.