Classroom of the Elite, I Only Want Your Rewards

As they chatted, the students gathered around him quickly got to know each other—this marked the initial formation of a small clique.

Besides Katsuragi Kohei, Suzuki Toru also noticed the others.

For example, a boy who combed his long hair to the back of his head—he had great popularity and was especially good at getting familiar with people, able to say a few words to anyone; his name was Hashimoto Masayoshi.

There were also Kito Hayato, Morishita Ai, Yamamura Miki, and others.

Hmm, he noticed them not only because they were somewhat interesting themselves, but also because some wishes were coiling around them.

Generally speaking, background characters don't have wishes.

"At 5 p.m. this afternoon, there will be a club activities briefing session in the first gymnasium. Students interested in club activities, please gather at the first gymnasium..."

At that moment, such a voice came from the broadcast.

Suzuki Toru pondered for a moment; he had noticed early on that classrooms for each grade weren't in the same place, and the only spots to run into upperclassmen along the way were the dorms, cafeteria, and shopping district.

Was the school deliberately isolating exchanges between grades?

No, maybe he was overthinking it.

"Suzuki-kun, are you very interested in club activities?" A familiar and cute voice suddenly appeared before Suzuki Toru; Sakayanagi Arisu was gazing at him with a smiling face.

For some reason, this girl always had a fox-like vibe when she smiled.

"Want to check out the buzz." Suzuki Toru's eyes sparkled; in this class, the person who interested him most was actually this girl.

Even now, all kinds of wishes kept bubbling up from her nonstop.

[Want to see the little princess's face all deflated], [Play with her till her heart stops], [Join her on the surface, then backstab the little princess hard in secret], [Lick Sakayanagi-miss's sweet and fragrant little jiojio till it's wrecked], [Defeat the little princess, then tell her "You're still far from it!"]...

Though most of the wishes were pretty outlandish, they weren't impossible—it's all about human effort.

"Hehe, I happen to be a bit interested too. Can I go with you?"

"Of course."

The instant he agreed, the class seemed filled with gazes brimming with resentment, especially aimed at Suzuki Toru.

After all, judging by looks, this girl had a flawless face, her petite frame often drawing plenty of eyes—not to mention her delicate and frail air that made people can't help feeling protective.

Of course, the girl's calves drew attention too; it was Suzuki Toru's first time seeing someone pull off white garter stockings with both purity and sexiness at once, especially under the slightly short skirt hem where her jade-like smooth thigh skin looked even more delectable and succulent.

Japan obsesses over cliques; people who can't blend into one are usually seen as failures, slapped with labels like "antisocial," "otaku," "gloomy," "hikikomori," and such—folks around unconsciously steer clear of them.

Worse cases, people suspect you're hoarding beautiful girl figures in secret, grinding away at those unspeakable galgames.

After all, that's become a full-on stereotype.

Still, there are always exceptions.

A beauty like Sakayanagi Arisu doesn't even need to try joining a clique—the clique comes to her; a few casual words now and then, and she's quickly the center.

If Sakayanagi Arisu had top-tier personal skills too, another leader popping up in Class A wouldn't be surprising.

But this one didn't seem rushed at all.

Suzuki Toru noticed she only chatted with a handful of students; the ones he mentioned earlier, she'd more or less clocked too.

The difference: Suzuki Toru hadn't made a move, but she'd already reached out to those students proactively.

When school let out, Suzuki Toru figured it'd just be the two heading out together, but another shameless tagalong showed up.

Like yesterday, Kamuro Masumi wore that "we're just on the same path" look, trailing the pair at a neither-close-nor-far distance.

Suzuki Toru could more or less guess her ulterior motive: she felt a twinge of unease, wanted the school's truth too, so she tailed them on instinct.

"Your legs have always been like this?"

Even with her cane, Sakayanagi Arisu's walking speed was slow; Suzuki Toru had to slacken his pace to match her.

"Hehe, you've laughed at me now. I have congenital heart disease; frail since childhood, can't take any exertion—not even long walks."

"Can't it be cured?"

"No matching medical tech has emerged yet."

"Sorry, brought up something bad."

"Suzuki-kun's so gentle. But no need to go out of your way for me."

As they chatted, the pair finally reached the gymnasium.

By then, plenty of first-year newbies had gathered in the gymnasium; rough count was over a hundred, and Suzuki Toru spotted Katsuragi Kohei standing with a few guys.

Crowded as it was, Suzuki Toru still picked out the standouts.

A girl with pale pink hair, swarmed by girls, seemed the core of some class; full smile, looked gentle and easygoing.

One guy who looked like a delinquent, hands jammed in pockets, jacket slung loose, faint bruise on his face—probably scrapped yesterday.

And a boy always snapping at folks nearby, totally average vibe, but he sensed something and suddenly shot Suzuki Toru a glance.

Suzuki Toru withdrew his gaze nonchalantly; these guys had too many wishes swirling around them—impossible not to notice.

"First-years, you've waited long! Now starting the club recruitment briefing by each club's reps." A petite cute girl with a bun stood on stage. "I'm student council secretary Tachibana, your host for this. Nice to meet you all!"

After she finished her greeting, a line of representatives from various clubs appeared, ranging from the Judo Club, Archery Club, Basketball Club, and Tennis Club to the Art Club, Tea Ceremony Club, and Cooking Club—it was a dizzying array.

Although it was dazzling, Suzuki Toru noticed a man standing at the back of the line.

Before long, he was the only one left on the stage.

He stood before the microphone without saying a word, a gesture that quickly drew the attention of the entire hall.

"Why isn't he speaking?"

"Come on, big brother from the upperclassmen!"

"Check your notes!"

"What's this? Is this senior about to wet his pants?"

Various voices erupted from the first-year students, yet they didn't affect the man on stage in the slightest.

The prolonged silence gradually made the atmosphere heavy; the noisy chatter died down, and the entire gymnasium was suddenly filled with tension and silence.

After a long while, the man finally spoke.

"I am the Student Council President, Horikita Manabu. Following the graduation of the upperclassmen, the student council will be recruiting candidates from the first-year students." He scanned the crowd, his expression unreadable. "The special election does not require any specific qualifications, but if anyone is considering running for the student council, please refrain from joining any other clubs. In principle, the student council will not allow anyone to run for office while simultaneously participating in other clubs."

"Furthermore, we in the student council do not wish for anyone with an optimistic mindset to run. Such people, let alone getting elected, would likely leave a stain on this school."

"The student council of our school possesses the power and mission to change the order of things; these are recognized by the school administration and are held in high regard."

"Therefore, we only welcome those who can understand this."

Having said this, the Student Council President stepped off the podium cleanly and left the gymnasium directly.

Suzuki Toru watched his retreating figure—or, to be precise, he was looking at the wishes manifesting around him.

[Help the senior educate his good-for-nothing sister], [Replace Horikita Manabu's position], [Humiliate the sister in front of her brother], [Expel Horikita Manabu], [Make Horikita Manabu say to his sister, "Oh, my foolish little sister"]...

Sister?

Suzuki Toru looked left and right, and soon discovered a girl standing motionless in place.

Horikita Suzune?

Chapter 6: Catching Her Attention

[Pinch Horikita Suzune's soft waist], [Expel Horikita Suzune in front of her brother], [Expel Horikita Manabu in front of his sister], [Make Horikita Suzune graduate as a Class D student], [Lick Horikita Suzune's jade feet until they are ruined], [Must thoroughly discipline Horikita Suzune], [Want to see Horikita Suzune serving me with a face full of resentment]...

Not far away, the girl stood motionless, her long black hair draped down with a few strands resting on her slightly heaving chest. A pair of black over-the-knee socks wrapped around her slender calves, possessing a delicate and smooth luster, while the skin of her snow-white thighs beneath the hem of her skirt created a striking contrast.

Looking a bit closer, one could notice the tops of the socks slightly constricting her thighs, pressing a faint mark into the skin, giving them a soft yet plump texture.

The girl named Horikita Suzune seemed to be in a trance, staring blankly, with a boy standing next to her.

At this moment, Suzuki Toru suddenly heard the voice of Sakayanagi Arisu.

"What is Suzuki-kun looking at?"

Perhaps out of curiosity, Sakayanagi Arisu followed his gaze and looked toward Horikita Suzune with great interest.

"I don't seem to see any girl as cute as you, so I'm relieved." Suzuki Toru withdrew his gaze and glanced at Sakayanagi Arisu inadvertently, only to find that her eyes were not looking at Horikita Suzune.

"Hehe, such a straightforward compliment. I didn't expect Suzuki-kun to have such a high opinion of me; I'm very grateful." Sakayanagi Arisu accepted his words without changing her expression, even revealing a hint of a smile—she really was thick-skinned.

As she spoke, she added another sentence.

"Actually, Suzuki-kun, your score is also very high in my book. A handsome and gentle person is very popular with girls, you know."

"That's great, I was just worrying about not being able to find a girlfriend in the future."

Kamuro Masumi curled her lip. What kind of nonsense were these two thick-skinned people spouting? She couldn't stand it at all.

"By the way, Suzuki-kun, what do you think of the clubs just now?" Sakayanagi Arisu asked, as if changing the subject. "Is there any club you want to join?"

"I have a target in mind, but I don't know if someone like me can successfully join," Suzuki Toru replied calmly.

"Hehe, I don't think anyone would refuse Suzuki-kun." As she said this, Sakayanagi Arisu raised her eyes to look at him. "Can you tell me which club it is?"

"Is there a reward if I answer?"

"Suzuki-kun, you wouldn't be thinking about something lewd, would you?" Sakayanagi Arisu had a half-smiling expression. As a beautiful girl, she was accustomed to all kinds of strange gazes and could keenly perceive where the other person was looking.

"Do you want me to say it?" Suzuki Toru shifted his gaze away from her calves. The wishes these days were getting more and more perverted; they wanted to be stepped on by the girl, and they wanted to lick the girl's jade feet.

"No, I feel like I'd get angry if I heard it," Sakayanagi Arisu dismissed his words. "Where were you last night?"

"In the dormitory."

Although he didn't know why she suddenly asked this, Suzuki Toru still answered her question.