The Bus to School

(It is well known that Advanced Nurturing is a university.)

(All characters in this book are at least 18 years old.)

(This book contains original settings. Since Tomato has the copyright for Classroom of the Elite, I have to consider similarity issues, so there are original settings and some adjustments to the lore. If you cannot accept this, please do not enter.) (The author begs you, please look at this! Everyone is unique, and thoughts on certain matters are bound to be vastly different. Therefore, some of the author's ideas while writing might differ from what you expect when reading. Can we please have mutual understanding?)

(The author is a new writer. If there is any clumsiness—if the plot isn't smooth enough, or if you have questions or ideas, you are welcome to point them out in the comments section. The author will read them.)

(The author does not accept intentional nitpicking or verbal abuse. If you are such a person, please look at this, or perhaps you would like to test how sharp the author's tongue is.)

(Because the protagonist spent time in the White Room, the character settings for some individuals in the work will be changed. Please accept this, and thank you all for your support of this book.)

(The author kneels in gratitude.)

(Brain storage unit)

(The following is the main text, please enjoy)

On the bus heading to the school, Uesugi Hara gazed at the passing scenery outside the window, his thoughts drifting far away.

He couldn't tell if choosing this school was the right or wrong decision. The claim of a "100% graduation and employment rate" was clearly fake at a glance, but he had no other choice.

His destitute situation left him with few options other than taking out a loan for university or heading straight to a factory to work—the fact that this school waived all fees was simply too attractive to him.

Three years had passed since he escaped from that place. When he first regained his freedom, he thought he had ushered in a life where "the sea is wide for fish to leap, and the sky is high for birds to fly," but reality slapped him hard in the face: his family had gone bankrupt, and the "cheap parents" who had sent him inside were already in prison. Aside from the small amount of travel money he received upon leaving, he had almost nothing.

Only then did he realize in hindsight why he had been targeted while inside, and why such crude "acting dumb" skills had managed to fool everyone—it turned out his family had already lost its power and backing back then.

Having scraped by through work-study to finish high school, his grades should have paved a bright path, but he was ultimately stuck on the word "poverty," unable to even touch the gates of a university. Just as he was agonizing over whether to take out a loan for college, an invitation from Advanced Nurturing was handed to him, giving him a third option.

A pie falling from the sky—do you pick it up or not? Pick it up! Why wouldn't you?

He had nothing left anyway; what else could the other party possibly scam him out of? It's not like they're going to steal his kidney. This isn't Northern Myanmar.

And so, Uesugi Hara came. Regardless of whether it was right or wrong, he was already on the road.

Fortunately, the school had a dedicated bus, otherwise, he might have really had to rely on "the 11 bus" (walking) to get here.

Just as he was thinking, a boy with an expressionless face sat down next to him.

Hmm? A poker face?!

Uesugi Hara stared at the other person as if he had seen a ghost, his tone full of shock and suspicion: "Ayanokoji? Shouldn't you still be 'squatting' inside?"

Ayanokoji turned his head at the sound, a flash of surprise crossing those usually calm eyes, but upon hearing the word "squatting," his expression darkened instantly—what did he mean by "squatting"?

"Uesugi, long time no see." He suppressed the displeasure in his heart, his tone remaining as flat as ever.

"Indeed, long time no see," Uesugi Hara didn't notice his oddity and curiously pressed on, "When did you get out?"

"Not long ago."

"That guy let you out? Has he lost his mind?"

"Hmm... there were some accidents." Ayanokoji glossed over it vaguely.

"Is that so?"

Uesugi Hara didn't hold any grudges against Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Although he had been targeted by the other's father, he didn't have any deep hatred for Ayanokoji himself; they could barely be considered "friends," right?

The two began to chat sporadically. Most of the time, Uesugi Hara was complaining about his miserable situation over the past few years, while Ayanokoji listened quietly—his days inside had been monotonous and unchanging, so there was really nothing to talk about.

Although the two weren't speaking loudly, they still disturbed the girl with long black hair sitting nearby.

She frowned and glared at Uesugi Hara, but Uesugi Hara was too busy venting to Ayanokoji to notice this gaze filled with dissatisfaction.

The girl maintained her glaring posture for a few breaths, only to feel her eye sockets growing sore. Just as she was about to blink to relieve the strain, Uesugi Hara finally noticed.

He looked at someone staring straight at him, stunned for a moment. He thought it was someone he knew and studied the girl's face for a moment—he had no impression of her at all. So, he unceremoniously returned a "what are you looking at" look.

Horikita Suzune clearly hadn't expected this reaction from him. A flash of annoyance crossed her eyes, and she glared back even more defiantly, her momentum not yielding in the slightest.

Thus, the two began a "staring contest," neither willing to give in.

In the end, it was Horikita Suzune who conceded first—her eyes were simply too sore to handle it.

Uesugi Hara looked at her reddened eye sockets, which looked like she was about to cry, and couldn't help but ask: "Are you okay?"

To the girl, these words sounded like a provocation. She blinked rapidly to relieve the soreness, then stiffened her neck and glared back, her intensity undiminished.

Seeing her still being stubborn, Uesugi Hara chuckled: "What a pain, clearly spoiled rotten at home. If you were with me, you'd be getting a few slaps to the face a day at the very least."

Having said that, he couldn't be bothered to pay her any more mind and turned to continue chatting with Ayanokoji about his experiences over the years.

Ayanokoji was already used to this side of Uesugi Hara and wasn't surprised—this guy hadn't changed a bit after all these years.

It's just... was that gaze from behind a bit too intense?

Ayanokoji shouted helplessly in his heart: Why are you glaring at me? If you want to glare, go glare at him!

Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, Horikita Suzune silently withdrew her gaze, memorizing the appearance of the two, thinking about getting revenge when she had the time.

"Could someone please give up their seat for this elderly lady?"

A clear, bright female voice suddenly rang out in the carriage, instantly interrupting Uesugi Hara's rant. He looked up, his gaze landing in the aisle—the person speaking was a girl with short tea-colored hair, who was carefully supporting an elderly lady with gray hair, her face filled with a hint of anxiety.

Oh, an acquaintance. Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow.

Seeing the carriage fall into silence with no one getting up, he turned to Ayanokoji and said, "Let's talk later," then called out loudly: "Kushida-san, there's a seat here."

Upon hearing this call, the smile on Kushida Kikyo's face stiffened, as if someone had splashed a basin of cold water on her unexpectedly. She turned toward the sound, meeting a pair of eyes that seemed to be smiling yet not quite—Uesugi Hara stood up lazily and gestured toward his seat.

"What are you still standing there for?" Uesugi Hara tilted his chin at her, his tone casual, "Help the old lady over here."

The stiffness on Kushida Kikyo's face vanished in an instant, quickly replaced by that signature, highly approachable smile, though a hint of complexity flashed in the depths of her eyes: "Ah, thank you!" she replied softly, hurrying to help the old lady walk over, though her pace was half a beat faster than before, as if she wanted to end this accidental encounter as quickly as possible.

The old lady sat down tremblingly and thanked him repeatedly. Uesugi Hara waved his hand dismissively, but his gaze never left Kushida. He hadn't expected to run into his "angel" classmate from high school here.

"I didn't expect to run into you here, Uesugi-kun." Kushida Kikyo stood beside the seat, maintaining a proper smile, though her tone carried a hint of probing, "Are you here to attend Advanced Nurturing University as well?"

"What else?" Uesugi Hara raised an eyebrow, "Did you think I came here for sightseeing?"

Kushida Kikyo was choked by his retort, but the smile on her face didn't falter; instead, it grew even sweeter: "That's true, after all, this is Advanced Nurturing University, who would come here just to sightsee."

"Come to think of it, Uesugi-kun had excellent grades back in high school, so it's no surprise you got in. But I'm still quite surprised, given your scores, going to Tokyo University would have been more than enough, right?"

These words hit Uesugi Hara's sore spot. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, his tone carrying a touch of self-deprecation: "How could Tokyo University be better than here? Free tuition, plus a 100% graduation and employment rate."

The smile on Kushida's face faded slightly, as if she hadn't expected him to be so blunt. She opened her mouth, just about to say something, when an announcement suddenly echoed through the carriage, indicating they were about to arrive at the gates of Advanced Nurturing University.

Uesugi Hara looked out the window and saw an imposing school gate slowly coming into view, followed by well-arranged teaching buildings and vast greenery; it really did look like a paradise on earth.

Uesugi Hara looked back at Ayanokoji, saw him nod, and then prepared to leave.

As Uesugi Hara turned to walk away, he was stopped by Kushida: "Uesugi-kun!"

He looked back at her, his eyes questioning.

Kushida Kikyo wore that impeccable smile again: "Since we'll be classmates from now on, maybe we'll even end up in the same class. I look forward to working with you."

"We'll see." Uesugi Hara replied indifferently, turning to follow the crowd toward the train doors.

(The number of readers for this work has exceeded the author's expectations, so I would like to clarify a few things here. A must-read for new readers!!!

1. First, let's talk about the protagonist's character design.

From the White House, naturally emotional, a genius, handsome, and broke.

Broke: This is the most fundamental setting of this work, so please don't get hung up on this point, I beg you. (I started writing this book for my own hobby, but I didn't expect so many people to read it, so the initial setting seems a bit weak, but it can't be changed now. One more thing, please check the book reviews posted by the author in the review section, thank you for your understanding.)

From the White House: Being from the White House dictates that the protagonist will have flaws, they just aren't usually apparent. At Advanced Nurturing, there is no suppression from the White House, and there is no need to worry about making a living (Class A), so his nature is released, which is why he appears more unrestrained.

Genius: To stay in the White House, the protagonist played the role of a genius for over a decade. Now that he is out and doesn't have to worry about survival, he naturally does whatever makes him happy. Some readers might think the protagonist is a bit silly in some places, but this might just be the protagonist pretending, because not thinking too much allows one to experience more joy.

Moreover, the text has inadvertently mentioned the protagonist's genius, for example: 1. Playing chess with Sakayanagi, giving up a rook at the start (if you don't understand international chess, you can refer to Chinese chess; normally, trading a rook for a horse and a cannon would be a loss) and still winning, winning consecutively; 2. The protagonist can deduce important information from news learned from Kushida and will verify it to ensure he can profit from it; 3. Rock-paper-scissors and personality; 4. Asking the homeroom teacher to handle transactions, partly to hide himself, and partly because he doesn't know how many points to sell things for. Through observation, he inferred that the homeroom teacher would provide some help to the class, and since the homeroom teacher's interests are tied to the class (in the original work, Hoshinomiya told Ichinose directly), he let the Class A homeroom teacher trade with the Class C homeroom teacher to maximize profits. All these demonstrate it.

Also, there really isn't much to write about in the early stages. In the original work, there were very few standout moments for Ayanokoji in the beginning; most of the time he was just being reserved... so it shouldn't be a big problem for me to write the protagonist as a bit of a goofball...

Handsome: Handsome (one word is enough, use your imagination).

(Was a classmate of Kushida Kikyo)

2. Let's talk about some changed settings.

1. The convenience store items are free in the original work.

Perhaps the author has experienced the feeling of fighting with old ladies for free eggs at the supermarket, which is why I changed it. It doesn't affect the plot, so don't worry too much about it.

2. The setting of the Terminal.

It integrates mobile phones, student IDs, etc., for convenience.

3. Whether the Terminal connects to the outside.

In the author's setting, students can see some things from outside the school, but they cannot expose information related to the school or individuals. This refers to real-world things. The school is the control end, and the students are the application end. What students post must be checked by the control end before it can be sent out, so the school is confident in letting students use it. (So, regarding the incident between Airi and the clerk, the author followed his own settings.)

4. Regarding the school's nutritional meals.

This was intentionally made to taste bad by Advanced Nurturing; food outside must be made to satisfy customers, so it certainly wouldn't be made to taste bad on purpose.

5. The White House setting has been changed because I had to consider the university background and age.

6. The club recruitment time refers to the actual university club recruitment time, placed after the midterm exams.

7. Added after discovering issues later.

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