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

"..."

Sae Chabashira did not answer immediately. She remained silent for a few seconds before nodding.

"Fine, I agree. Twenty thousand points per month, with the additional conditions remaining unchanged."

"Mm."

Soon, Sae Chabashira and Keima Katsuragi finalized the terms of their deal, including a note during the transfer to serve as evidence.

"From now on, my gaming won't be affected anymore, right?"

Keima Katsuragi confirmed one last time.

"Yes, but only limited to the act of 'playing games'."

For Keima Katsuragi, being able to play games freely at this stage was the most important thing.

As for the content of the deal, he didn't care.

After all, whether or not he could actually reach Class A was meaningless to him.

The worst-case scenario was simply having to pay back the points later.

During this period, he had plenty of time to maneuver—

To accumulate points and, at the very least, improve Elsie's academic performance.

He might even find an opportunity to renegotiate the terms of the deal again.

For Keima Katsuragi, this deal was, at worst, a temporary stalling tactic.

"Oh my! Isn't this little Sae? What are you two chatting about?"

Just then, a gentle voice rang out from not far away.

Chie Hoshinomiya.

A soft smile graced her face as she glanced at Sae Chabashira, then turned her gaze toward Keima Katsuragi.

"Oh, you're Katsuragi-kun from Class D, right? I'm the homeroom teacher for Class B. What are you and your teacher, Chabashira-sensei, talking about? She and I have been friends for over ten years; we were classmates once, and now we're colleagues!"

Chie Hoshinomiya's words made it sound as if she and Sae Chabashira shared a very close relationship.

"That has nothing to do with you, and our conversation is already over."

Sae Chabashira merely glanced at Chie Hoshinomiya before turning and walking away.

"Oh, what a pity. I thought you might be talking about something interesting, like romance? Although school has just started, students in their adolescence must be very eager for love, right?"

Chie Hoshinomiya watched Sae Chabashira's retreating back with a smile, then turned her attention back to Keima Katsuragi.

"Katsuragi-kun, are you interested in romance or anything like that?"

"Not interested at all."

The moment Chie Hoshinomiya turned her head back, Keima Katsuragi had already pulled out his handheld console and started playing a game.

"I heard that you really love playing games, Katsuragi-kun~ If you're willing to come to our Class B, I can let you play games as much as you want!"

"Really?"

"In this school, you can transfer classes for 20 million points."

"Never mind then."

"But if you really want to come to our Class B, Katsuragi-kun—perhaps the students in my class would be willing to cover a portion of the cost for you."

"I have no such plans for the time being."

"Oh my, that's a shame. But if you ever need someone to talk to about anything, feel free to come find me! I'm a psychological counselor at this school! And I have a great relationship with your homeroom teacher; we're best friends!"

"Is that so? But it looks to me like you're a bit angry at Chabashira-sensei."

Keima Katsuragi said slowly, his eyes remaining fixed on his screen.

Volume 1: Chapter 25: Hoshinomiya-sensei, are you angry?

Hearing Keima Katsuragi's words, Chie Hoshinomiya froze, the smile on her face instantly stiffening.

She hadn't expected Keima Katsuragi to say something like that—but he wasn't wrong.

Deep down, Chie Hoshinomiya had always harbored resentment toward Sae Chabashira.

She had once been a student in Class D and a classmate of Sae Chabashira.

Chie Hoshinomiya believed that the reason she hadn't been able to graduate as a member of Class A was entirely Sae Chabashira's fault.

Even after ten years since graduation, she had never forgotten.

It was just that Chie Hoshinomiya hid her true feelings very well; she didn't reveal this side of herself easily.

But...

Had this student in front of her actually seen through it?

No, that was impossible.

Chie Hoshinomiya adjusted her expression in an instant, leaving almost no flaws.

"Why do you say that, Keima?"

"Just a feeling."

"Hahaha, Keima, that's not true at all. My relationship with Sae Chabashira is actually very good."

"Oh."

Keima Katsuragi didn't say anything more, simply continuing to play his game.

His earlier remark had indeed been just a feeling.

At the very least, in games, the more someone deliberately acts intimate, the more likely there is a problem.

The momentary change in Chie Hoshinomiya's expression just now had proven exactly that.

Unlike the near-resigned state of Sae Chabashira, Chie Hoshinomiya's words just now seemed somewhat provocative, even going so far as to reveal details regarding class transfers to him.

However—

Keima Katsuragi didn't care.

"Then I'll be going now, teacher."

"Mm, I look forward to working with you in the future, Keima."

Watching Keima Katsuragi's retreating back, the smile on Chie Hoshinomiya's face vanished in an instant, turning as cold as if she were an entirely different person.

The bell for class rang once again, and Keima Katsuragi continued to play his game during the lesson, as if everything happening around him had nothing to do with him.

Yosuke Hirata noticed Keima Katsuragi's behavior and felt a bit concerned.

Keima is still playing games even after knowing the rules of the S-System? This will definitely lead to a deduction of Class Points.

But if it weren't for Keima, we probably wouldn't have been able to notice these things at all. By the end of the month, our Class Points would surely be wiped out... the resulting loss would be even greater.

Yosuke Hirata thought for a moment and decided to turn a blind eye to Keima Katsuragi's behavior for the time being.

Kikyo Kushida, meanwhile, was focused intently on the blackboard, looking every bit the diligent student.

However, during the break just now, Kikyo Kushida had done something.

She had shared the information regarding the rules of the S-System with students from other classes.

Over the past few days, Kikyo Kushida had made friends with many students from other classes.

Class D knowing about the S-System in advance was supposed to be their advantage.

And by choosing to leak that information, Kikyo Kushida was effectively burying that advantage—

With this intelligence, Kikyo Kushida could further strengthen the bonds with her newly made friends.

That wasn't all.

The more dangerous the situation for Class D became, the more miserable Suzune Horikita would surely feel.

Kikyo Kushida had seen the look of frustration on Suzune Horikita's face when Sae Chabashira mocked the class.

For someone so proud to be in the worst class, Suzune Horikita must be having a hard time.

Kikyo Kushida swore that she would make the only person who might know about her past disappear from this school entirely.

In the corner of the classroom, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had been observing Keima Katsuragi from the shadows.

During English class, Keima caught the attention of Mashima, using a Q&A session to prove his earlier hypothesis about the school rules.

This drew Yosuke Hirata's attention, leading him to proactively ask about it, which in turn forced Sae Chabashira to reveal the true rules.

Is all of this truly a chain reaction brought about by coincidence, or was it all calculated by him?

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji thought rapidly.

But in his heart, he became increasingly certain that Keima Katsuragi's identity was not simple.

Could it be that after he left, another product was created by the White Room?

No, Keima Katsuragi's behavioral patterns were completely different from those of a White Room student.

Did he come from another institution?

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji felt a flicker of curiosity.

As the final bell of the day rang, the classes finally came to an end.

"Airi, are you going to the convenience store?"

Keima Katsuragi turned his body to speak to Airi Sakura, though his gaze remained fixed on the handheld console in his hands.

He had promised to accompany Airi Sakura to buy some things after school, and to prevent any "accidental" situations, he had sent Elsie away in advance.

After all, if an idiot with such a bizarre train of thought like Elsie were around, Airi Sakura would probably faint on the spot.

"I..."

Airi Sakura lowered her head, glanced at the student terminal in her hand, and felt a bit conflicted inside.

The teacher previously mentioned that we wouldn't be able to receive 100,000 points every month, as the points received are positively correlated with our Class Points.

Since a significant number of Class Points have already been deducted, the points we receive later will certainly decrease.

However, Airi Sakura really wants to buy a camera; taking self-portraits is her only hobby.

She has calculated that if she only buys the camera, her points should be enough.

But Airi Sakura is also unsure if there will be other needs for points later on.

After the teacher finished explaining the school's rules, everyone felt a sense of panic in their hearts, and the excitement of receiving points on the first day had long since vanished.

"Sakura-san, are you worried about the points?"

Keima Katsuragi asked, as if he had seen right through Airi Sakura's thoughts.

"Mm..."

Airi Sakura nodded.

"Rest assured, the prices in this school are generally much cheaper than outside. A camera alone won't cost more than 40,000 points, and the remaining money is more than enough to cover daily necessities. Assuming we don't lose too many points later, we should still have over 60,000 points next month."

Keima Katsuragi said while looking at his screen, "It is worth paying something for the things you love; after all, that is priceless."

"Mm..."

Looking at the handheld console in Keima Katsuragi's hands, Airi Sakura finally nodded, having made up her mind, "Katsuragi-kun... let's go."

On the other side of the classroom, Elsie looked as if she had lost her soul, slumped over her desk.

"Exams, we have to take exams later? If we fail, we get expelled? Ahhhhh, what should I do!"

Volume One: Chapter 26: Curiosity from Arisu Sakayanagi

Soon, Keima Katsuragi and Airi Sakura arrived at the school's convenience store.