Classroom of the Elite, I Only Want Your Rewards

Mashima Tomoya said in a calm tone, "It won't be too difficult; by next month, you will all know."

The first part was a subtle affirmation and response to Katsuragi Kohei's question, while the latter part shifted the tone, clearly signaling to the surveillance that he hadn't actually said anything.

This homeroom teacher is quite interesting, Suzuki Toru, who had been observing silently, added another note to his notebook.

The day's classes passed quickly, but everyone tacitly remained in the classroom, not rushing to leave.

"To prevent any special circumstances from arising in the future, I believe it is necessary to save half of our personal points every month," Katsuragi Kohei suggested calmly.

The current situation in the class was very unfavorable for him; Sakayanagi Arisu had suddenly made a move, stealing the spotlight in one fell swoop.

Previously, many people didn't care about who the class leader was, each doing their own thing. It was normal for them to be unconvinced by one another because everyone's grades and backgrounds were similar—why should they listen to you?

Katsuragi Kohei's circle... no, it should be called his faction now, counted at most a dozen students.

At this moment, many people had already realized that the class needed a capable leader.

As the most excellent among them, they naturally had to have the most excellent leader.

In just half a day, many people had gathered around Sakayanagi Arisu, the number not being any less than Katsuragi Kohei's, and some had even defected from his faction.

There were now two factions in Class A: one was the Katsuragi Faction, which Katsuragi Kohei had been managing for a week, and which had a certain foundation of trust in him.

The other was the supernova Sakayanagi Faction, with Sakayanagi Arisu as the core figure, and Hashimoto Masayoshi and Kito Hayato had joined her at some point.

The remaining students either maintained a hesitant attitude or acted as if they didn't care.

"Hehe, who does Katsuragi-kun think should be in charge of keeping these personal points?" Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly; this sharp question was essentially asking who the class leadership should belong to.

"Of course, it should be our big brother Katsuragi!" Totsuka Yahiko was the first to charge into the fray.

"What are you joking about? Classmate Sakayanagi should manage our personal points!" The Sakayanagi Faction had already begun to produce loyalists.

"With her small frame, she's at most a middle schooler. Big brother Katsuragi has served as student council president before; his experience is definitely richer than hers!"

"Hey, hey, who are you calling a middle schooler? Middle schoolers are clearly the best!"

Would she kill me if I said something like that?

It seems that even Class A students cannot escape the norm; they were arguing like aunties in a vegetable market.

No one could convince anyone else, and if things continued this way, it would likely result in everyone going their own separate ways.

"Suzuki-kun, you can't run away at a time like this, can you?" Sakayanagi Arisu called out to someone with a smile.

Having already reached the classroom door, Suzuki Toru had no choice but to turn around and meet her gaze.

"Who do you think should be responsible for keeping the personal points?"

She actually kicked the ball to him, but he wasn't some kind of referee.

Chapter 19: Morishita Ai Asks a Question

Actually, Katsuragi Kohei had also noticed Suzuki Toru's movements; judging by the level of attention Sakayanagi Arisu paid to him, the other party's ability should be quite good.

Moreover, his performance just now wasn't bad either, making him worth winning over.

However, he hesitated because Suzuki Toru seemed to have some connection with Sakayanagi Arisu.

Returning to the main topic, pooling the class's personal points was a very reasonable decision, even without the transaction mentioned earlier.

Whether it was the two factions or the students intending to remain on the sidelines and neutral, no one had any objections.

This was because the school clearly intended for personal points to be the all-purpose tool of this institution.

But the problem was, into whose hands should the personal points be handed?

Suzuki Toru's expression was calm; for Sakayanagi Arisu, this question was mostly to see who he favored more.

And under normal circumstances, when a girl poses such a question, there is no doubt she wants you to choose her.

Could this middle schooler be hoping for someone to compliment her?

These thoughts flashed through Suzuki Toru's mind in an instant, and then he finally spoke: "If it's just about keeping the personal points, anyone would do, right?"

He avoided the issue of usage rights, and Sakayanagi Arisu narrowed her eyes slightly, though she remained smiling on the surface.

"That's not the same, surely this kind of thing must be handed to the person most worthy of trust," Totsuka Yahiko shouted.

"Are you saying you suspect there are traitors in the class?" Suzuki Toru felt disappointed. "I didn't expect Classmate Totsuka to be so distrustful of everyone. I originally thought we were all companions who could trust each other. It seems I didn't think it through clearly enough."

Totsuka Yahiko's face stiffened; these words had pushed him to the forefront of the controversy.

Some people began to look at Totsuka Yahiko with resentment; if one couldn't even trust their own classmates, how were they going to spend the next three years?

"No, that's not what Yahiko meant. He just wanted to say how we should choose a suitable candidate; after all, these personal points are not a small amount." Katsuragi Kohei stepped in to cover for his subordinate. "Suzuki, do you have any recommended candidates?"

"This kind of trivial matter shouldn't require much time to think about, Suzuki-kun," Sakayanagi Arisu urged as well.

At this moment, facing the attention of the two leaders, everyone also stared intently at Suzuki Toru.

Suzuki Toru did not look at Katsuragi Kohei, nor did he look at Sakayanagi Arisu, but instead turned his gaze toward another direction in the classroom.

"I think Classmate Morishita is quite suitable."

As his words fell, one could see expressions of astonishment appear on many students' faces, and even Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu couldn't help but be stunned.

"Suzuki Toru is going to choose me?"

Ahead of his line of sight, a young girl tilted her head slightly, seemingly feeling a bit confused. A few strands of hair slid from her shoulder down to her chest with the movement—not particularly round or firm, but certainly not to be underestimated.

This girl's name was Morishita Ai.

Since the start of the school year, Suzuki Toru had been observing her, because this seemingly unremarkable girl would occasionally manifest various desires.

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[Do whatever I want while she's asleep], [Sleep, sleep, sleep, all she knows is how to sleep, she needs to be taught a lesson], [Lick Morishita Ai's jade feet until they're worn out], [Be stepped on by her jade feet, then show a hopeless expression], [Go on a date with Morishita Ai], [Want to taste what that impudent little mouth tastes like]...

"Hehe, that's somewhat unexpected. Could you tell us the reason, Suzuki-kun?" Sakayanagi Arisu was not the least bit annoyed; on the contrary, she seemed quite intrigued.

"Hey, hey, you didn't just pick at random, did you?" Totsuka Yahiko scrutinized Suzuki Toru and Morishita Ai with suspicion.

Even Katsuragi Kohei couldn't help but frown.

The reason was simple: Morishita Ai's personality was a bit strange.

"Hmm, I'd like to know too, otherwise it will keep me wondering, Suzuki Toru." Morishita Ai, who had been sitting at her desk, turned her body to look at everyone. Beneath her skirt were conspicuous black pantyhose, their texture delicate and seemingly pleasant to the touch.

Seemingly sensing Suzuki Toru's gaze, she subconsciously brought her legs together. Her face remained devoid of much expression, her temperament cold and detached, as if nothing could draw her special attention.

In other words, this was a girl with no drive whatsoever.

Of course, that alone wouldn't be an issue; the main point was that her phrasing was a bit problematic.

Normal Japanese people wouldn't address others by their full names, yet she kept saying "Suzuki Toru" over and over, which was truly eye-catching.

"The meaning is the same regardless of who is chosen; personal points won't just fly away on their own." Suzuki Toru paused. "If you're not satisfied and want to change people, that's fine too. This time it's Classmate Morishita, next time it could be Classmate Shimizu, we can rotate through the whole class."

No, the meaning was completely different.

Suzuki Toru had avoided the Katsuragi Faction and the Sakayanagi Faction, choosing the neutral and innocent Morishita Ai.

Both leaders were well aware of this point.

"Hehe, that would be too troublesome. Why not let Classmate Morishita be responsible for keeping them?" Sakayanagi Arisu smiled. So, he didn't want the class to end up divided.

"I have no objections either. When we want to use them, we can discuss it together," Katsuragi Kohei nodded.

Morishita Ai blinked. How did she suddenly get appointed by everyone?

"Since that's the case, starting next month, everyone will hand over half of their personal points."

No one objected; the two factions combined already made up two-thirds of the class.

Thus, Class A had its first collective decision.

Having finally settled these messy affairs, Suzuki Toru soon left the classroom.

However, trouble always followed one after another.

"Please wait a moment. Doesn't Suzuki-kun have anything to say to me?"

Hearing Sakayanagi Arisu's voice, Suzuki Toru looked back. Sure enough, she was followed by quite a few people.

Kito Hayato, Hashimoto Masayoshi, and Kamuro Masumi.

Wait, why was Kamuro Masumi there?

"Hey, hey, hey, what's with that look in your eyes!?" Kamuro Masumi keenly sensed his thoughts and immediately glared at him.

Clearly, you're the one with the problem. You previously said you had your own plans, yet you immediately became Sakayanagi Arisu's subordinate.

Although he thought this to himself, he had to remain calm on the surface.

"It is my honor to see Classmate Sakayanagi display her full strength for the first time. I believe that within a semester, Classmate Katsuragi will inevitably end in disgrace. I hope that under your leadership, everyone in Class A can head toward a bright future without a single dropout."

Since the other side had strength in numbers, Suzuki Toru couldn't help but liven up the atmosphere a bit to avoid saying the wrong thing and offending anyone.

Especially Kito Hayato—this guy looked cold and terrifying, with a sinister appearance and gloves on his hands, giving off the vibe that he might kill someone at the slightest disagreement.

Suzuki Toru noticed that his gait and posture were different from an ordinary person's; he seemed to have learned some martial arts and was likely very good at fighting.

Strangely, upon hearing these words, both Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi showed very strange reactions.

"Hahaha, just as the Princess said, you are a quite interesting person." Hashimoto Masayoshi seemed unable to hold back his laughter.

No, I just heard that appropriately displaying a different image can attract the other party's attention and make them more interested in you.

Chapter 20: Promise

"Today should be our formal introduction. My name is Hashimoto Masayoshi. Please treat me well in the future, Suzuki."

Hashimoto Masayoshi introduced himself solemnly. Although he looked like a frivolous handsome guy and his tone was quite easygoing, there wasn't much to dislike.

On the other side, Suzuki Toru also heard a simpler introduction.

"Kito Hayato."

The other party's gaze was fixed firmly on him, but from his appearance, there was no special reaction to be seen.