Classroom of the Elite, Oh No, I've Become a Stand-in 48

"Horikita, you've come as well?"

Horikita Suzune stared coldly at Sakayanagi Arisu, her long black hair fluttering in the breeze.

"I've been suspicious since a moment ago. The timing of the announcement, the points of the students in the class—everything is just too coincidental. If the mastermind behind this wasn't from Class D, there's no way they could have grasped the personalities of those two so accurately. Classmate Sakayanagi, did you intentionally create this current situation?"

"What are you talking about?"

Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head, a pleasant arc forming at the corners of her mouth. "I don't understand what you mean, Classmate Horikita."

"Why did you refuse to help when you could have saved them? What benefit does this bring you?" Horikita Suzune pressed forward, step by step.

"You yourself said they deserved to be expelled, so why are you now accusing me, the one who found the method, of refusing to help?"

"Failing the Midterm Exam and getting expelled is their own fault; I won't defend them on that point. But you knew the method to save those three. If you had spoken up just a little earlier, the class wouldn't have had to reach this point. Class D is now on the verge of collapse. Tell me, what do you gain from doing all this, Classmate Sakayanagi!"

"What a sharp interrogation..." Sakayanagi Arisu didn't seem frightened; instead, she laughed quite happily.

"And besides, what does this have to do with you? Wasn't it you who said at the start of the term that you had absolutely no need for things like friends?"

"I—" Horikita Suzune was left speechless by Sakayanagi Arisu's question.

Leaning on her cane, Sakayanagi Arisu slowly walked around Horikita Suzune.

"Classmate Horikita, you believe you can do everything yourself, don't you?"

Sakayanagi Arisu watched Horikita Suzune, whose face was gradually turning pale, and commented in a melodic voice.

"Such arrogant confidence. You thought you could get an acceptance letter to Advanced Nurturing based on academic ability, only to end up in Class D; you thought you could pull those three back to a normal level on your own, only for it to fall apart due to their attitudes. Classmate Horikita, you really do make me laugh."

"..."

Horikita Suzune clenched her fists, closed her eyes, and remained silent for a long time. Finally, she let out a long sigh.

"Yes, I admit that the past me was too naive. Looking at it now, relying on my own strength alone is simply not enough. But what about you? Do you really have no desire to promote to Class A at all!"

"That's right."

Sakayanagi Arisu smiled and nodded, her tone playful.

"I have absolutely no interest in graduating from Class A. The things you view as treasures are worthless in my eyes! Looking at you now, surely you aren't still thinking of climbing higher with a class like that?"

"Ah." Horikita Suzune admitted frankly, "Even now, I still want to try."

"With you, it's impossible."

"That is why I want you to help me!"

"Sorry, I have absolutely no interest in such things."

Sakayanagi Arisu lifted her skirt slightly and bowed a little toward Horikita Suzune.

"Then... what is your true purpose for coming to Class D?" Chabashira Sae, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "To be honest, when I first saw you assigned to our class, I thought I had hit the jackpot."

"There is someone I have always wanted to defeat who should also be at this school. I originally thought he was in this class, but I couldn't find him." Sakayanagi Arisu didn't mind revealing a bit of information to them. "Is he perhaps playing hide-and-seek with me?"

"Then why not join forces with me—"

"You aren't qualified!"

Sakayanagi Arisu interrupted Horikita Suzune, her face, which had held a faint smile, changing in an instant.

"Someone like you isn't qualified to participate in the battle between us."

Just then, a cell phone rang. Sakayanagi Arisu took out her phone and glanced at it.

"Well then, let's stop here for today. Please forgive me for not being able to accompany you further; I have an appointment."

After politely bidding the two farewell, Sakayanagi Arisu walked away, leaning on her cane.

"Classmate Sakayanagi!"

Horikita Suzune suddenly called out to Sakayanagi Arisu.

"If the person you are looking for has an entire class behind him, you wouldn't be able to defeat him, would you? Things like this can only be accomplished by utilizing the power of a class!"

Sakayanagi Arisu stopped in her tracks and looked back.

"I know that naturally. I will eventually mold Class D into the shape I desire. As for that group of students right now, forgive me, but I can't even muster the energy to order them around."

Chapter 58: The Calm Class A

After the Midterm Exam, Tokyo officially entered June. The afternoon sun radiated its inherent heat, shining through the large, clear glass windows into the classroom and casting dazzling spots of light onto the floor.

Inside the Class A classroom, the central air conditioning was officially turned on. Accompanied by a low humming sound, cool air was continuously blown from the vents, causing the pages of the textbooks spread out on the desks to sway slightly in the air.

Quite unlike the gloomy atmosphere of Class D, the style of Class A regarding the Midterm Exam was roughly:

"Hey... did you eat?"

"I did, you?"

"I ate too."

The end.

They had crushed it with a straight-faced average score of nearly eighty points.

What Midterm Exam? It was just a pebble on the side of the road.

More than that, what they cared about was—

Katsuragi Kōhei stood at the podium, palms pressed against the edge, and announced to the class with a faint smile:

"The notice from the Student Council has arrived. I have successfully passed the assessment and become a member of the Student Council."

The students of Class A, who had been busy with their own affairs, all looked up.

The next moment.

"Oh—!"

Mikage Touji sprang up from his seat, taking the lead in stirring up the crowd, and the whole class erupted in cheers.

"Although it is only as a general affairs officer."

"Aww~" A synchronized, drawn-out groan carried a hint of playful disappointment.

"It doesn't matter. Currently, I am the only first-year member of the Student Council."

"Oh—!"

The cheering reached its peak, the enthusiastic roar echoing throughout the classroom.

"Katsuragi-san, you really are the strongest!" Totsuka Yahiko shouted, waving his arms frantically from below the podium.

"Katsuragi is invincible!" Mikage Touji took two steps up to the podium, faced the class, raised his arms high, and shouted.

"Katsuragi is invincible!" all the boys in the class echoed in unison.

"Damn it!"

Totsuka Yahiko looked indignantly at Mikage Touji, who had so easily manipulated the emotions of the entire class. He clenched his fists in grief and anger, feeling for the first time that he was such a useless sidekick, unable to even outdo others in cheering for Katsuragi.

The faint smile on Katsuragi Kōhei's lips froze, and his face twitched as he watched Mikage Touji, who was frantically singing his praises beside him.

No one knew better than Mikage Touji how he had obtained this position as a general affairs officer.

Although he didn't know exactly how Mikage Touji had made contact with the Student Council President, there was definitely some behind-the-scenes maneuvering involved.

Moreover, Mikage Touji's current actions gave him an inexplicably familiar feeling—

"To celebrate Katsuragi-san becoming a Student Council officer, he has decided to treat everyone to a meal! Gather at Keyaki Mall in half an hour, his treat!"

"Ohhh!!"

Deafening cheers spread throughout the school building.

"Wait—"

Before Katsuragi Kōhei could finish, Mikage Touji led the boys of Class A out of the classroom like a flock of birds scattering.

Left behind, Katsuragi Kōhei and Totsuka Yahiko stood frozen in place, staring at each other.

Twenty minutes later.

"All-you-can-eat yakiniku..."

"Kaiseki cuisine..."

"High-end steak..."

Mikage Touji and the boys of Class A kept muttering about the delicacies they wanted to eat, but as they looked up at the square sign of the Student Cafeteria, they all lowered their heads in unison.

"Sigh~"

"Although I don't mind treating you all, please consider my wallet as well."

Katsuragi Kōhei, who had been trailing behind, caught up and said helplessly.

If the students of Class A were to find a restaurant at Keyaki Mall and eat to their heart's content, his meager savings would likely be wiped out in a single meal, forcing him to borrow money from Totsuka Yahiko to survive the next few months.

"That's true. It really hurts the image of Class A for our leader to survive on a Mountain Vegetable Set Meal every day." After muttering a few words, Mikage Touji stepped into the cafeteria.

"Yeah." The group of Class A boys nodded in agreement and followed him inside.

Inside the cafeteria, the mixed aroma of various foods filled the air.

After sitting in the Student Cafeteria for a while, the girls of Class A arrived shortly after.

As the cafeteria ticket machine let out a "beep," under the gloomy gaze of Katsuragi Kōhei, Mikage Touji took a Deluxe Extra-Topping Udon with a calm expression.

Carrying his spoils, Mikage Touji glanced at the Class A students who were gathered together eating in a lively atmosphere, then walked over to the corner where the Class A Weirdo group gathered and sat down.

Sitting next to him, Morishita Ran, who had ordered a curry, was sipping Miso Soup in small mouthfuls, silently glancing at Mikage Touji's dinner.

Yamamura Miki had also ordered a bowl of udon and was eating it quietly in small bites.

Setting down the udon, Mikage Touji took out his phone, opened the chat page with Horikita Manabu, and prepared to help Katsuragi reduce his workload in the Student Council.

He also planned to imitate the old tactics by sending Horikita Manabu a recording of Horikita Suzune's "borrowing money" method—the one where her tone was as stiff as if she were reading a ransom note, yet the content was as coy as a confession to a crush, and the overall effect was like someone going to borrow money from their father's killer.

He should have finished his Student Council work by now; it was time to give him another dose of "little sister shock."

A few minutes later, the message was sent. Mikage Touji rubbed his hands together, excitedly picked up his chopsticks, and then his movements stalled. He looked at Morishita Ran beside him with a blank expression.

"Where is the beef in my bowl?"

Morishita Ran shifted her gaze away from Mikage Touji's bowl as if nothing had happened, chewing with her cheeks puffed out. She swallowed the food quickly and spoke with righteous indignation.

"The special exam is only two months away, so I need to hurry and replenish my energy. The book says that beef is an excellent source of protein, containing all the proteins the human body needs, making it the best choice for storing energy."

"..." Setting aside the fact that the content of the special exam hasn't even been confirmed yet, what kind of logic is it to start stockpiling energy two months in advance? Are you preparing to hibernate?

"Morishita-san," Mikage Touji said with a pleasant expression, "perhaps you could order another serving?"

"I can't finish it; I can't waste food." Morishita Ran, who had only eaten five and a half noodles at the ramen shop, stuffed a mouthful of Curry into her mouth.

"And what about me?" Mikage Touji's smile became increasingly kind.

"Didn't I give you my carrots? They are the most well-known source of nutrients and can boost your immune system." Morishita Ran used her chopsticks to point at the pile of bright red carrots in Mikage Touji's bowl, their edges softened by the soaking broth.

"If I recall correctly, Miss Morishita doesn't seem to like eating carrots, does she?"

"How could that be? Not eating carrots is something only children do." Morishita Ran tightened her small face, trying her best to look more convincing.

"Really? She seems to frequently feed her leftover carrots to the fish, which has resulted in the fish in her tank being replaced over and over again."

"Lord Morishita would never lie." Morishita Ran puffed out her chest.

"In that case," Mikage Touji revealed a malicious smile, "let's have a contest! Whoever eats the most carrots loses their eligibility to lead the special exam in two months."

"..." Morishita Ran's chewing motion came to a halt.

For a moment, the only sound at the dining table was the faint noise of Yamamura Miki eating her noodles in small bites.

"How about it? The ever-reliable Lord Morishita." Mikage Touji deliberately drew out the end of his sentence.

For a split second, Mikage Touji actually sensed conflict in Morishita Ran's eyes, along with disbelief and a hint of resentment that seemed to say, I can't believe you aren't going easy on me.

"Gulp..."

The usually expressionless Morishita Ran was currently chewing the beef in her mouth with all her might, as if she were trying to crush someone into pieces.

"Alright then... actually, you can have my portion too."

Yamamura Miki, who had been quietly watching the two bicker from the side, interjected. After much hesitation, she reached out and placed her own portion of beef into Mikage Touji's bowl.

"Be-because I haven't really touched my portion yet, so, is this okay?" Yamamura Miki glanced at Mikage Touji timidly.