Classroom of the Elite, Oh No, I've Become a Stand-in

"I do believe you are capable of such a thing."

"Senior..."

Mikage Touji felt a wave of emotion and was about to speak—but he suddenly stopped, hesitating.

"It isn't just your intuition again, is it?"

"Partially." Kiryūin Fūka propped her chin on her elbow, staring at Mikage Touji's face. "Actually, from the very first moment I saw you, I felt you were a bit special. Different from the average person. How should I put it... hmm... right!"

"You don't quite fit into this world."

The pen he was using to write stopped moving. "Is this some kind of pseudo-scientific mysticism?"

"Others probably have a similar feeling, but it's always overshadowed by your strange personality."

Mikage Touji rubbed his chin, looking somewhat delighted. "Could it be... am I... the protagonist?"

That thought lasted for exactly one second.

"Forget it, forget it," Mikage Touji shook his head. "Being the protagonist of a school like this doesn't feel like a good thing. Now that I think about it, figuring out how to wash away the shame of my nine points in Japanese Literature is more realistic."

"You can't be so discouraged. You are the underclassman recognized by me, Kiryūin Fūka."

Kiryūin Fūka slapped the table. "Let's begin. Official tutoring. I will help you raise your Japanese Literature grade to the top 20 in the grade."

Ah, top 20 in Japanese Literature? Me?

At this moment, Mikage Touji felt the same sense of frustration that Kamuro Masumi had experienced a few days ago.

It wasn't that he doubted Kiryūin Fūka's ability; her grades in the second year were legendary, absolutely top-tier. Calling her number one wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But in just half a day...

"Come on!"

Kiryūin Fūka used her pen to circle various points in the textbook's table of contents and pushed it toward Mikage Touji.

"These are the knowledge points you haven't fully mastered yet. For the next hour, review them on your own. Use whatever method you like to understand them. After an hour, I will create similar problems based on these topics." Kiryūin Fūka stood up.

Just that?

Mikage Touji shook his head, a confident smile appearing on his face.

"For every two you get wrong, you'll accompany me on a shopping trip."

Mikage Touji turned completely gray...

"That's settled! See you in an hour!"

"Wait—!"

"Bang—!"

The sound of the door closing landed heavily on Mikage Touji's heart, echoing within him, unable to settle for a long time.

Mikage Touji's hand, reaching toward the door, froze in mid-air, looking just like a carbonized statue caught in a nuclear blast.

After all that, it turns out she was waiting to trap me here.

Also, Senior, you wouldn't happen to be holding a grudge because I asked you to marry me earlier, and this is your way of getting revenge...

Mikage Touji slowly turned his head, his gaze fixed on the curriculum Kiryūin Fūka had circled. He swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and decided to give it his all!

An hour and a half later.

Mikage Touji, now in a state of total burnout, lay motionless on the desk. His corpse had likely been stiff for a while.

"Underclassman," Kiryūin Fūka capped her pen and looked at the corpse-like Mikage Touji, filled with surprise. "I underestimated you. You only got one wrong?!"

Mikage Touji smiled silently.

Just kidding. He had activated Detection and scanned the knowledge points circled in the textbook over and over again, forcibly pressing them into his brain.

Of course, the price was that Mikage Touji's brain was currently in an overclocked state, his mental energy completely drained. He wouldn't be able to use it again until tomorrow.

Plus, there was a feeling of wanting to vomit... No! It wasn't just a feeling!

Ugh—!

Mikage Touji forcibly suppressed the churning in his stomach.

"You... really are different." Kiryūin Fūka scrutinized Mikage Touji's half-dead face. "Originally, I just wanted to test where your limits were. It seems this level isn't enough. I believe in my judgment even more now."

"I just happened to encounter ones I knew. This should be considered a normal speed, right? Doesn't Senior usually look relaxed when studying?" Even though he was about to collapse, his mouth remained stubborn.

"As expected of me, the one who picked you out from the crowd at a single glance."

So that was the main point? Mikage Touji felt ashamed.

"You're wrong about that. I put in a lot of effort when it comes to studying. After all, it relates to the university I will attend in the future."

I couldn't tell at all. Could it be that the Senior who goes off to enjoy her leisurely time every day after school is also working hard for her studies somewhere?

Mikage Touji had previously thought that Senior would say something like, "Knowledge is the kind of thing that just appears in your brain once you reach a certain age," a dragon-like statement.

"It seems you don't need my tutoring to get into the top twenty with your own ability." Kiryūin Fūka reviewed Mikage Touji's test paper once more and reached a conclusion.

"Then, Senior, does that mean our tutoring is—"

"That is why you must set your sights on the top 10 to be worthy of your talent. If you slack off for too long, even the heavens will take it back."

Kiryūin Fūka gave a firm refusal, pressing her advantage to pile more work onto Mikage Touji, kicking him right back down just as he was preparing to revive on the spot.

"Next, these are your tasks for this week..."

Kiryūin Fūka scribbled the goals onto a piece of paper with her pen, tore it off with a sharp sound, and handed it to Mikage Touji. Her handwriting was elegant and spirited.

"I'll come to check your progress next weekend. If you don't finish, you're coming shopping with me." With that, she stood up and headed toward the door.

"Senior..." Mikage Touji stood up as well, his gaze lingering, "Actually, your goal from the start was just to drag me out shopping, wasn't it?"

"..."

"How could that be? Cultivating a genius from scratch is far more fulfilling than going shopping with you, isn't it?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a terrible liar, Senior?"

"That's because I've never met anyone worth lying to before." Kiryūin Fūka was incredibly candid as she picked up the bag hanging on the wall. "That's that, see you next week!"

"Senior!"

Mikage Touji instinctively called out to Kiryūin Fūka just as she was about to step away.

"Is there something else?" Kiryūin Fūka turned around.

Mikage Touji stepped forward and reached out to straighten the black headband on her head, which had gone slightly askew from her earlier movements.

"It's better this way. Otherwise, it doesn't fit your spirited image, Senior."

"..."

Standing quietly in place for a moment, Kiryūin Fūka reached up to touch the headband on her head.

"What a pity. I still prefer it when you call me cute, underclassman."

"It's all the same."

Chapter 50: Happiness Belongs to Them

Youth is a lie, a form of impulse. Those who sing the praises of youth often deceive themselves and those around them. They view everything in their environment through a positive lens. Even if they commit some grave error, they treat it as a symbol of youth, depicting... depicting...

Uh... I forgot the rest.

In any case, all you "normies" should just explode!!

In a dark corner untouched by the KTV laser lights, Mikage Touji sat full of resentment, crunching on potato chips while voyeuristically watching the men and women who were overflowing with smiles, enjoying themselves with their companions, and singing happily together.

On Sunday afternoon, Class A of the first year held its first class gathering since the start of the semester. Katsuragi Kōhei had rented an enormous KTV suite and had been making various preparations since the morning—drinks, snacks, and fun little games were all provided, all in an effort to leave the students of Class A with a wonderful memory.

However, happiness belonged to them, and Mikage Touji had nothing.

"Here..."

Mikage Touji slurped some jelly and handed the bag of chips in his hand to Morishita Ran.

"I don't want this. I want that Bamboo Shoot Chocolate."

"I'll get it for you in a bit."

Mikage Touji turned and handed the chips to Yamamura Miki. "Do you want these, Yamamura?"

"Thank you, Mikage-kun..." Yamamura Miki whispered her thanks as she took the chips.

Mikage Touji stood up, intending to go get some Mushroom Mountain Chocolate; he preferred that one.

"Mikage-kun, please get me a sweet milk, okay?" Shiraishi Asuka, sitting right next to him, asked with a smile.

"Sure..."

"What do you want, bro?"

Mikage Touji asked Kamuro Masumi, who was huddled in the corner playing on her phone.

As someone who was tone-deaf, Kamuro Masumi had originally intended to slip away as soon as the event started—with 40 people, no one would notice if one was missing. Unfortunately, Mikage Touji was too despicable; he had seen through her intentions at a glance and used an order to threaten her, forcing her to stay there in humiliation.

"I don't want anything." Kamuro Masumi glared at Mikage Touji irritably and lowered her head to continue playing on her phone.

Sure enough, the liveliness belonged to them, and Mikage Touji only felt a sense of inner peace.

After leaving his dark, comfortable seat that was hidden from light and love, Mikage Touji was immediately drawn to another existence who shared his plight.

Kito Hayato, a boy who possessed a distinct aura just like him. At this moment, he was also sitting alone in a corner, silently observing the men and women illuminated by the colorful spotlights. His ghost-like profile was hidden in the shadows, and the crowd had left a vacuum of space around him.

Mikage Touji grabbed a drink, walked straight up to him, handed it over, and sat down.

"Kito-san," Mikage Touji patted his shoulder in a friendly manner, acting as if they were truly best buds, "Say no more. Let's use tea in place of wine and drink until we're wasted."

Kito Hayato, who had experienced this kind of treatment his whole life, was already used to it.

Instead, he looked blankly at Mikage Touji, who had suddenly run over and completely immersed himself in his own roleplay. For a moment, he didn't know what to say and could only respond dryly: "Cheers..."

Two bottles of drinks collided in mid-air, making a dull sound.

Mikage Touji squeezed closer to Kito Hayato and sighed, "As expected, we are the same type of Stand users, both lonely souls rejected by the world. But it doesn't matter. It's not that the world rejected us, but that we rejected the world! Come! Bottoms up!"

Kito Hayato raised his hand to check the label on the drink. There wasn't any alcohol in it, so how could he be drunk?

Also, he recalled the direction Mikage Touji had come from just now... his lips moved, but in the end, he didn't say anything.

"By the way, where is Hashimoto-san? Wasn't he with you?"

"Over there." Kito Hayato nodded, gesturing for Mikage Touji to look in that direction.

Under the neon lights, Hashimoto Masayoshi was pulling out all the stops, using his silver tongue to flutter between the girls and boys like a flamboyant butterfly, having the time of his life.

"Tsk..." Mikage Touji clicked his tongue. "That guy Hashimoto really is a traitor, a two-faced snake; he's actually betrayed our class."

Although he didn't have much affection for Hashimoto Masayoshi, Kito Hayato felt that Hashimoto Masayoshi was being wronged.

After chatting with Kito for a while longer, Mikage Touji swayed as he left this peaceful spot; he was off to embark on a new journey.

Like this... is he really not drunk?

Watching Mikage Touji's retreating back, Kito Hayato posed a soul-searching question.

After wandering around, Mikage Touji arrived at the spot occupied by the event organizer, Katsuragi Kōhei, and his sidekick.

At this moment, the two were sitting on the sofa with the widest view, allowing them to see all the surrounding students at a glance so they could handle any issues immediately; there were also a few other students nearby chatting with them.

"Katsuragi-kun, you can't let Shijo and the others steal your thunder. Go up there and show off your singing voice, let them know how good you are, and you'll be able to gain the trust of even more classmates."

Totsuka Yahiko was desperately egging Katsuragi Kōhei on to go up and sing a song.

Katsuragi Kōhei seriously compared his own voice to the slightly magnetic male tone of Shijo, then recalled his own voice, which was as low as a hollow, and felt that Totsuka Yahiko wanted him to go up there and make a fool of himself.

"Yahiko, I'm not good at singing. By comparison, Shijo-kun's voice is the one best suited to stir up the atmosphere." Katsuragi Kōhei frankly admitted his weakness.

"No! I believe Katsuragi-kun can definitely do it!"

"That's right, Katsuragi-san, how do you know you can't if you haven't tried?"

Mikage Touji, biting on a straw and holding a drink, took the opportunity to cut into the conversation.

"You, what are you doing here?" Totsuka Yahiko, standing to the side, was startled by Mikage Touji's sneak attack.

Totsuka Yahiko was a bit intimidated by Mikage Touji; not only was this guy unreliable, but he had also snatched away Katsuragi-kun's status in the class, and even Katsuragi-kun trusted him deeply.

More importantly, even he himself vaguely felt that this guy was quite formidable.