Classroom of the Elite, Keima Katsuragi's Love Brain Battle

The tone of Keima Katsuragi was extremely calm, even cold to the point of being robotic.

In his eyes, the various interpersonal relationships in real life were far less pure and real than those in games.

"B-but..."

Kikyo Kushida's mouth opened slightly, wanting to say a few more words, but she was rendered speechless by Keima Katsuragi's retort, leaving her with no choice but to offer an awkward smile and shake her head.

"I, I understand... I am very sorry to have bothered you, Keima-kun."

After speaking, Kikyo Kushida walked away from the spot at a brisk pace.

The moment they brushed past each other, the smile on Kikyo Kushida's face vanished completely.

No one caught the change in her expression.

Elsie looked at Kikyo Kushida's retreating back with some worry, then turned her head to look at Keima Katsuragi:

"God of Conquest, is this really okay? No matter what, she is one of the mission targets! The affection level definitely dropped by a lot!"

Keima Katsuragi put down his handheld console and took out a card once again.

[Name: Kikyo Kushida]

[Affection Level: -20%]

Just as Elsie had said, Kikyo Kushida's affection level had dropped significantly this time.

However, Keima Katsuragi appeared completely indifferent.

"This is actually a good thing."

"What does that mean? God of Conquest, I don't understand at all."

"Kikyo Kushida has been wearing a mask while interacting with us; that friendly and generous demeanor she usually displays is likely just a facade."

Keima Katsuragi shook his head and explained to Elsie, "Along the way, she seemed to be trying to create opportunities for 'chance' encounters, and she even tried to initiate physical contact while speaking. Although she claims to want to be friends with everyone and unite the class, her behavior is incredibly incongruous, and she is particularly concerned about Suzune Horikita. She definitely has other motives."

Keima Katsuragi's words made Elsie feel as if her brain were about to crash, and after thinking for a long time, she could only squeeze out:

"Th-then, what should we do next?"

"I have decided to adopt a strategy completely opposite to our first meeting. Even if it lowers the affection level a little bit at the start, there is no other way. To truly get closer to her, the first thing that needs to be done is to peel away that disguise bit by bit. If I just go along with her ideas, she will only hide further behind her mask. What I need to do now is to dig out her true self little by little. Only by completely entering her heart can I succeed."

"I see! As expected of the God of Conquest!"

"So, this matter cannot be rushed. The initial drop in affection level doesn't matter; we have to take it slow."

"I just feel like the God of Conquest is trying to stall for time..."

"Not at all. However, it's getting late today, so I need to properly enter my game time!"

As he said this, Keima Katsuragi quickened his pace toward the dormitory.

"God of Conquest! Don't forget the mission!"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow!"

On the other side, Kikyo Kushida, who had parted ways with Keima Katsuragi, did not have that usual bright and cheerful smile on her face. Instead, there was a layer of gloom, as if she were shrouded by dark clouds.

"Keima Katsuragi is harder to deal with than I imagined. Why is this guy's attitude completely different from the first time? Does he really value games that much? It was the same during the test today, yet his grades were so good. What a strange guy."

She muttered to herself, her voice incredibly cold and completely different from her usual self, as if another personality had taken control of her body. Even her gaze had turned indifferent.

"But the most troublesome one is that woman, Suzune Horikita. She might know about my 'past.' I absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot let her have the chance to talk about it—wait a minute, could Keima Katsuragi's change in attitude toward me be because that woman said something?! Damn it, damn it!"

In that instant, Kikyo Kushida's expression seemed to become somewhat twisted.

"Is that Kushida-san!"

An enthusiastic voice came from behind Kikyo Kushida.

"What a coincidence, Ichinose-san!"

Kikyo Kushida turned her head and greeted the other person, a bright and radiant smile appearing on her face once again.

The gloom that had previously been on her face vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed at all.

Volume One: Chapter Seventeen: Airi Sakura's Brainstorming

The morning sunlight spilled into the classroom through the clean glass windows, cutting patches of light and shadow across the neatly arranged desks.

Keima Katsuragi was the same as usual, holding his handheld console in his right hand, his left index finger dancing across the buttons at a speed invisible to the naked eye. His eyes were fixed on the screen without blinking, yet his footsteps precisely avoided all obstacles, moving in a straight line from the classroom door to his seat as if he had an automatic navigation system installed.

"What was this guy's name again? Keima Katsuragi?"

"Although the teacher seems to not care about anything, he really is playing games every single second! I will never forget the content of his self-introduction for the rest of my life. How could there be such a shut-in in this school?"

"But why are this guy's grades so good? It's so unfair!"

A few boys glanced at Keima Katsuragi from the corners of their eyes, whispering to each other.

The murmurs buzzed like mosquitoes.

He caught a glimpse of those boys looking at him with complex expressions as they spoke—a mix of curiosity, confusion, and a trace of hard-to-detect jealousy.

He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold glint.

It doesn't matter.

He recited silently in his heart.

In the real world, the opinions of others were like the trivial NPC dialogue in a game; skipping them wouldn't affect the main storyline.

He pulled out his chair and sat down with practiced ease, his movements fluid and without a single pause. On the screen of his handheld console, the beautiful girl happened to reveal a tearful expression at that exact moment, and a dialogue box popped up with options--

[A. Gently embrace her]

[B. Tell the cold truth]

Keima's index finger hovered for half a second before he pressed the A button with precision.

Pink special effects instantly bloomed on the screen, and a notification of Affection +15 appeared above the girl's head.

"Huu..."

He let out a breath so faint it was almost imperceptible, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

This is the kind of meaningful feedback that matters. Reality? Hah.

Beside him, Airi Sakura sat in a posture that was almost frozen solid.

Even for her, her attention couldn't help but be drawn to the maverick Keima Katsuragi.

At this moment, her peripheral vision was moving cautiously, inch by inch, to the right—crossing over her open notebook, sweeping past the edge of her pencil case, and finally locking onto Keima's dancing fingers and the glowing screen.

He presses the buttons so fast...

Airi marveled in her heart.

She often fumbled and panicked even when playing mobile games.

And... he didn't seem to care at all what others thought.

Airi Sakura had never seen anyone like Keima Katsuragi before.

To be able to disregard the gazes of others and go his own way...

This realization reminded Airi Sakura of her own past.

She remembered walking with her head down forever because she was afraid of being watched; she remembered blushing furiously at the convenience store checkout just because the clerk asked, "Do you need a bag?"; she remembered the past in middle school when she was chosen by the teacher to answer a question, only to stutter and fail to say a word, eventually being secretly mocked by her classmates.

If only I could be like him...

Even if it were just for a second of eye contact, Airi Sakura would feel terror.

Extreme social anxiety.

"Sakura-san, good morning."

The voice belonging to Keima Katsuragi suddenly rang out, and Airi shuddered violently like a startled rabbit.

She turned her head in a panic, coming face-to-face with Keima Katsuragi's profile—he was still staring at the screen, his fingers never stopping, as if that greeting had just been a hallucination of hers.

"So-sorry!"

She apologized almost as a conditioned reflex, her earlobes burning instantly.

"Go-good morning..."

Airi Sakura quickly averted her gaze again, subconsciously hunching her shoulders and gripping her skirt tightly with both hands, her nails almost digging into her palms.

She had never expected that her gaze would be noticed by Keima Katsuragi.

What should I do...

How should I answer...

Will this make me seem impolite...

And just as Airi Sakura was feeling incredibly conflicted inside, Keima Katsuragi spoke again:

"Did you pick out a camera that day?"

"No, not yet..."

Airi Sakura's voice was so small it was almost impossible to hear.

The reason she was picking out a camera that day wasn't just because of her hobby for photography, but because of her other identity—a web idol and print model who went by the stage name Shizuku, and who possessed great popularity on the internet.

Airi Sakura loved taking selfies and would post the photos she was satisfied with onto her blog.

Because this school confiscated all electronic devices upon entry, Airi Sakura couldn't bring a camera in, and upon learning that one could purchase any product in the school using points, she had been impatient to buy a new camera.

That day in the digital section, she had actually taken a liking to a retro red camera—small and portable, with specs suitable for portraits, and a very cute color.

But when the clerk walked over with a smile and asked, "Do you need any help?", that familiar sense of suffocation gripped her once again.

The way that clerk looked at her... Airi couldn't quite explain it, but she felt as if the other person's gaze lingered on her for too long, and the smile on their face made her inexplicably uneasy.

She had practically fled in a panic, unable to even ask the question she had prepared beforehand.

Interacting with strangers, even just speaking, was incredibly difficult for someone with her extreme social anxiety.

On the internet, Shizuku appeared to be a bright and generous girl, radiating the essence of youth in every smile and gesture.

In reality, however, Airi Sakura was the complete opposite.

She was afraid of meeting people's gazes, afraid of living in places where crowds gathered, and hated being the center of attention.

Airi Sakura had no idea how she was supposed to get through these three years of high school, and she felt lost regarding her future.

"Are you having trouble deciding which one to pick?"

At that moment, the words of Keima Katsuragi pulled Airi Sakura's thoughts back to reality.

"I..."

"Thanks to a friend of mine who loves photography, I happen to know a thing or two about cameras."

Keima Katsuragi continued playing his game, his eyes never once looking at Airi Sakura, which actually made her feel a sense of relief.

"Do you prefer taking portraits, or landscapes?"

"Peo..."

Airi stammered.

In truth, she wanted to say "selfies," but the word was stuck in her throat and she couldn't get it out no matter how hard she tried.

The "Shizuku" on the internet could flash a brilliant smile at the camera, but the Airi Sakura in reality needed courage just to state her own hobby.

"Then I know exactly what kind would suit you."

Keima Katsuragi said.

"I happen to be heading over to the digital section today anyway, want to come along?"

"Katsuragi-san... you're going back there?"

Airi Sakura asked, feeling a bit puzzled.

She remembered that Keima Katsuragi seemed to have bought a pile of game discs the day before yesterday.

"I'm planning to buy another game console."