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

"Teacher, at the very least, please tell us the detailed reasons for the point deductions."

Yosuke Hirata tried hard to steady his emotions as he spoke to Sae Chabashira.

"Just like in the real world, we use personnel evaluations; I cannot disclose the specific criteria."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled across Sae Chabashira's face.

"I originally thought your points would be wiped out in less than half a month. It seems there are still a few people among you with a bit of brains."

"Then, may I ask... is there an opportunity to earn back points?"

Kikyo Kushida raised her hand and asked, pursuing the matter.

"There is. As long as you can earn more points than Class C, they will be demoted to Class D. Depending on exam results, you can earn up to 100 points—though, let me tell you one more thing: while there are small quizzes from time to time, starting from the midterms, anyone who fails a formal exam will be expelled immediately."

"Expelled?!"

Sae Chabashira watched as fear appeared on the faces of almost every student, and the smile on her face seemed to grow more pronounced.

"Since you understand, let's begin today's lesson."

Meanwhile, the fingers of Keima Katsuragi, who was playing his handheld console, did not slow down in the slightest, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

Volume 1: Chapter 23: Chabashira-sensei, you wouldn't want to watch your students stay in Class D, would you?

Sae Chabashira began her lecture, but the students beneath the podium could not take in a single word at this moment.

S-System, class points, expulsion...

These words were difficult for them to digest all at once.

On the first day of school, they had thought they had arrived in paradise.

But now, the students realized that this place was nothing short of hell.

However, at the very least, no one was whispering or playing on their phones during this class—

Except for Keima Katsuragi.

Once the bell rang for the end of class, Sae Chabashira quickly packed her things and walked out of the classroom.

Before she had walked very far, Sae Chabashira heard footsteps approaching from behind.

"Please wait, Chabashira-sensei."

Sae Chabashira turned around; the person standing behind her was none other than Keima Katsuragi.

Yet, even as Keima Katsuragi spoke to her, his gaze remained fixed on the handheld console in his hands.

"Katsuragi, what is it?"

"You said earlier that points can be used to buy anything at this school, right?"

"That's correct. As long as it doesn't violate the law or school rules, you can buy it."

"Then I want to buy the right to play games in all classes from now on."

Keima Katsuragi said.

"Oh?"

Sae Chabashira's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if she weren't sure she had heard him correctly.

Keima Katsuragi continued:

"I asked Mashima-sensei last period, but he could only grant me the right to play games during English class and couldn't interfere with other subjects. Besides, 20,000 points a month is simply not worth it. He also told me to come find you, Chabashira-sensei. I feel that as the homeroom teacher, you should have a better price, right?"

"Are you serious?"

Sae Chabashira scrutinized the boy in front of her; the game screen was reflected in his lenses.

"I am serious. After all, playing games in class should affect the class points, and I want to buy out that impact. Once I spend the points, my playing games in class becomes a legitimate action and will no longer result in deductions."

"Why would you do this?"

A trace of confusion flashed in Sae Chabashira's eyes.

Even though he knew the school's rules, Keima Katsuragi still came to her to make such a deal.

Why?

"Just to play games in class. I have to spend an average of four or five hours a day in the classroom; this is the prime time for gaming."

Sae Chabashira pursed her lips. Even having taught Class D several times and seen countless students who had given up, she had never encountered anyone who spoke such outrageous nonsense as the Keima Katsuragi before her.

While Sae Chabashira was stunned, Keima Katsuragi continued:

"If it were just me, the impact on the class points wouldn't be that significant. But surely someone in the class will be dissatisfied with my behavior, and it would be troublesome if they interfered with my gaming later on. That is why I want to do this."

"I see. To go to such lengths just to play games—Keima Katsuragi, you are the first person I have ever met who would do this."

Sae Chabashira smiled again.

"Fine, this can indeed be bought. 80,000 points a month, and you can play games in all classes without being deducted points."

"That's not worth it."

Keima Katsuragi rejected Sae Chabashira's proposal without hesitation.

"What?"

"High school lasts for three years, with an average of eight months of classes per year, totaling twenty-four months. That comes to 1.92 million, which is not a small number. Besides, given the current situation, I couldn't possibly come up with that many points in the first few months, so I have other ideas."

"Oh?"

"Naturally, I intend to negotiate."

"What qualifications do you have to negotiate with me?"

"My academic ability—let me save my game first."

Keima Katsuragi saved his game, put away his handheld console, adjusted his glasses, and looked at Sae Chabashira.

"I possess excellent academic ability, and you mentioned, Teacher, that exam scores also affect class points. Since my grades will surely have a positive impact on the class, and personal points are linked to class points, the benefits I can bring to the class should be quite substantial."

"You certainly have a way with words, Keima Katsuragi. Your grades might be good, but this school requires more than just grades. Furthermore, at the end of the day, you are all just students of Class D. Even if you alone have good grades, what can you possibly change? Unlike Class A, Class D is a collection of the biggest losers."

Sae Chabashira's question seemed to carry a hint of mockery.

"First of all, no matter what kind of exam it is, it is ultimately no different from a game; one simply needs to find the correct answer. Additionally—"

Keima Katsuragi's sharp gaze pierced through his glass lenses.

This was one of the few times Sae Chabashira had seen Keima Katsuragi's face directly, as he usually kept his head down playing games.

"If we in Class D are truly the biggest losers, then Teacher Chabashira, doesn't that make you the worst teacher?"

"You really have some nerve!"

"The students in Class D are indeed lacking in discipline and motivation, but as a teacher, it is your duty to guide students onto the right path. If not, then what is the point of the school's existence? Yet you haven't done that, and your lessons are perfunctory. The reason we were assigned to Class D and the reason you are our homeroom teacher are not much different, are they?"

Keima Katsuragi's words were like a sharp sword, but Sae Chabashira only looked at him with a serious expression.

She had never seen a student dare to speak to her like that.

"Just like those characters in games, if you ignore them and provide no care or help, they are very likely to go astray and reach a bad ending."

Keima Katsuragi took a step forward, closing the distance between him and Sae Chabashira.

"Don't you want to go further, Teacher Chabashira? For example... promoting to Class A?"

As he spoke, Keima Katsuragi watched Sae Chabashira's expression intently.

In order to play games in class in the future, Keima Katsuragi decided to take the initiative against Sae Chabashira.

He wasn't sure what her true thoughts were, so he spoke this way deliberately to test her.

Although Sae Chabashira was not one of his targets, it seemed the methods used in games could still apply.

The more intense the emotional fluctuation, the more one's true inner self is revealed.

Watching the subtle changes in her expression, a smile appeared on Keima Katsuragi's face.

I have already seen the ending.

Volume 1: Chapter 24: For the Sake of Gaming, Anything is Worth It

Upon hearing Keima Katsuragi's words, Sae Chabashira's expression clearly changed, and her breathing seemed to quicken.

Sae Chabashira harbored an incredibly strong desire to be promoted to Class A.

She had once been a student of Class D herself. Back then, the gap between the four classes was nowhere near as vast as it was now, and the class Sae Chabashira belonged to had almost managed to replace Class A.

But in the end, they fell short at the final hurdle.

This incident was inextricably linked to Sae Chabashira, which had also caused Chie Hoshinomiya to harbor deep resentment toward her.

Sae Chabashira appeared to have given up on the surface, but in reality, her desire to be promoted to Class A was stronger than anyone else's.

And this was the first time a student had ever brought up the subject in front of her.

However, Sae Chabashira regained her composure in less than two seconds:

"Promotion to Class A? For you in Class D, even reaching the level of Class C would be something to be thankful for. Although you discovered the truth about the S-System in time, these few days are enough for other classes to pull ahead—"

"But the gap definitely isn't that large yet, right?"

Keima Katsuragi said.

If the students in the class hadn't known about the S-System in advance, they might not have realized something was wrong until the 1st of next month, by which time their class points would have been completely wiped out.

But since school had only been in session for a few days, the points they had lost were not that significant.

This was the moment when the gap between the classes was at its smallest.

"Interesting. Do you desire to be promoted to Class A? You should know that graduating from this school guarantees a career path—but only if you graduate from Class A."

"I have no such desire. Which class I graduate from is not within my scope of consideration. I am only doing this so I can play games better. Only when I have games to play do I have the motivation to do anything else."

Keima Katsuragi adjusted his glasses, paused for a few seconds, and then continued.

"I can improve the 'strength' of the class; that is my personal advantage. Therefore, my request is to lower the price of the transaction."

Sae Chabashira stared at the boy in front of her.

Can he really go this far just for the sake of playing games?

But then again, this year's Class D students are unique enough.

Aside from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, he might also be able to become my trump card.

"Fine, I agree. Fifty thousand points every month. As long as you provide the full amount each month, your behavior of playing games during class will be regarded as 'normal student behavior'."

A meaningful smile appeared on the face of Sae Chabashira.

"But in return for the discount, there must be no dropouts in the class during the upcoming official exams. Furthermore, the class ranking must improve by at least one spot every full academic year. If you fail, our deal will be terminated. Not only that, you will need to pay me back the difference from before in full."

Sae Chabashira was curious about how Keima Katsuragi would react.

"I cannot accept."

Without the slightest hesitation, Keima Katsuragi rejected Sae Chabashira's proposal.

"As I thought."

For Sae Chabashira, the other party's reaction was within her expectations.

After all, it was nearly impossible for any student to agree to such an additional condition—

"With that additional condition, fifty thousand is still too high."

"What?"

The smile on Sae Chabashira's face froze in an instant.

What Keima Katsuragi cared about wasn't the additional condition, but the fifty thousand points?

"If it's under twenty thousand, I might consider agreeing."

"You are bargaining with a teacher, you know?"

"Within the school's rules, this is permitted, right?"

"You should think this through. Once an agreement is reached, it is binding."

Sae Chabashira's gaze became serious.

"I am well aware of that, otherwise the school's point transaction system wouldn't have any purpose, would it?"