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

After all, Suzune Horikita treating three people to a grand meal cost a significant amount of points.

Within the school, although standard student meals were not expensive, one could also spend points to purchase much higher-end dishes.

To win over Keima Katsuragi, Suzune Horikita had no choice but to do this.

According to her original plan, Suzune Horikita intended to treat Keima Katsuragi to a meal first, making him owe her a favor, and then naturally ask him to help her.

But now, she had to spend three times the points to treat the others as well.

And...

She still had to buy games for Keima Katsuragi later!

At the mere thought of this, Suzune Horikita felt her breathing grow somewhat rapid.

"Speak, what exactly do you want?"

Keima Katsuragi asked.

Beside them, Elsie had already started eating on her own, while Airi Sakura was lowering her head in embarrassment, her gaze fixed solely on her own food.

This was her first time eating in the cafeteria, let alone with other students.

Suzune Horikita leaned forward, her eyes casting a serious gaze onto Keima Katsuragi's face:

"I'll be blunt. Before the lunch break, I heard Yosuke Hirata and the others formulating a policy."

"You're talking about preparing for the midterm exams, right?"

Although Keima Katsuragi played games even during class breaks, he had seen Yosuke Hirata come to talk to Suzune Horikita several times and had overheard the content of their conversation.

At the time, Yosuke Hirata's gaze would occasionally drift toward Keima Katsuragi, as if he wanted to pull him into the discussion, but after seeing Keima Katsuragi completely absorbed in his game, he temporarily abandoned that idea.

"That's right."

Suzune Horikita nodded.

"Yosuke Hirata intends to hold study sessions to tutor the students in the class with poorer grades."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Yosuke Hirata believes it is necessary to tutor the few students who scored the lowest on the last quiz, but I believe that if we are going to hold study sessions, we shouldn't stop there."

"What?"

"Passing the exam only avoids expulsion, but what we must do is go further. Since I have been assigned to Class D, I must rise to Class A!"

Suzune Horikita furrowed her brows, looking as if she had already made up her mind.

"Oh."

Keima Katsuragi simply nodded lightly, showing no great reaction.

Seeing this response from Keima Katsuragi, Suzune Horikita seemed somewhat displeased, though she did not express it, merely continuing with her own agenda:

"That is why I want to improve the grades of everyone in the class. You scored first on the last quiz, so I acknowledge your academic ability, and I hope you can assist me in tutoring more people."

"That sounds like something that would waste a lot of my gaming time."

"Keima, do you really possess such ability and yet are willing to remain in Class D?"

Suzune Horikita was a proud person, but she also had the capital to be self-important.

There were very few people she considered capable, and Keima Katsuragi counted as one of them.

But Suzune Horikita found it hard to accept that Keima Katsuragi clearly possessed such ability, yet acted so willfully, as if nothing had anything to do with him.

"It doesn't matter which class I'm in. For me, the real world is just like this anyway; as long as I can play games, that's enough."

Keima Katsuragi responded simply.

"Then why did you enter this school?"

"Because Big Brother is going to become the one who—"

Elsie, who was sitting to the side with her mouth full of food, had just started to speak when Keima Katsuragi directly covered her mouth with his hand to prevent her from saying anything else strange.

"I still have to attend high school, after all. I just happened to think this school was special, and I could play games as I pleased."

Keima Katsuragi answered immediately.

Suzune Horikita scrutinized the male in front of her; she couldn't understand this guy at all.

Was playing games really that important?

"Since you have already accepted my—"

"However, I can help you."

Keima Katsuragi turned his head to glare at Elsie, signaling her not to say any more inexplicable things, then turned back to look at Suzune Horikita.

This answer took Suzune Horikita by surprise.

This guy had just acted as if the other people in Class D had nothing to do with him, yet he had changed his attitude in an instant?

"What made you change your attitude?"

"Change my attitude?"

Keima Katsuragi rubbed his head.

"I didn't."

"Huh?"

"I was already planning on finding a way to improve the class's grades from the start."

"Huh??"

"Because I've already signed a contract with Sae Chabashira to ensure that no one in the class drops out and that our ranking improves."

"Huh?????"

Volume 1: Chapter 35: So... my expenses were completely meaningless?!

Suzune Horikita froze for a moment, her gaze filled with confusion as she looked at Keima Katsuragi.

What did he mean by...

You were already planning to do this?

What did he mean by saying he had signed a contract with Teacher Chabashira?

"What... what exactly did you say to Teacher Chabashira?"

Suzune Horikita hurriedly pressed him for an answer.

"From now on, I can play games freely in class without it being considered a violation that deducts Class Points."

Keima Katsuragi said nonchalantly, "In return, besides handing over a certain amount of points every month, I have to ensure that no students drop out during future formal exams, and the class ranking must rise by one spot every school year."

However, Keima Katsuragi did not voice his true thoughts.

This deal was merely a stalling tactic to allow him to play games without a care for the time being.

Naturally, he would find a way to invalidate it later.

Reality, Class D, Class A—Keima Katsuragi did not care about any of it.

However, Keima Katsuragi had actually been somewhat concerned about the phrasing Sae Chabashira used at the time.

'Formal exams'.

It sounded as if there were other special exams as well.

But that was not the key issue for now, and Keima Katsuragi did not delve any deeper.

"What?!"

Suzune Horikita was dumbfounded.

There was actually such a contract between Keima Katsuragi and Teacher Chabashira.

So, he was already planning to take action on this...

Did that mean the points she spent today were completely meaningless?

Not only did she treat three people to a meal for nothing, but she also had to give Keima Katsuragi a game?!

"I--"

"I already refused you earlier, but you insisted on buying me a game and treating me to a meal. You aren't going to go back on your word, are you?"

"Since I have already made a promise, I will absolutely not go back on it."

Suzune Horikita sighed with some resignation; nothing had gone smoothly since the start of the school year...

At least she still had a relatively generous amount of points for now.

"It seems you have a second merit, Horikita: you keep your word."

Keima Katsuragi said, popping the fried shrimp from his bowl into his mouth.

"That sounds really annoying, but why is it the second one?"

"I already told you the first merit when we first met."

Keima Katsuragi looked up at Suzune Horikita.

The question marks on Suzune Horikita's face only multiplied.

He told her when they first met?

She tried hard to recall the conversation they had when they first met. At the time, she seemed to have been questioning why Keima Katsuragi had glanced at her on the bus.

The other party's answer was—

'Sorry, it's just because you're so beautiful, classmate, that I subconsciously took an extra look.'

The moment she recalled those words, Suzune Horikita's breathing became erratic.

!!!

"You guy, can't you be a little more normal!"

Suzune Horikita said, somewhat agitated.

Beside him, Airi Sakura only slightly raised her head, casting a cautious glance in the direction of Suzune Horikita.

Had Suzune Horikita's cheeks turned a little red?

It was the first time she had ever seen Suzune Horikita react this way...

What on earth did they say to each other when they first met?

Airi Sakura was incredibly curious, but fearing that Suzune Horikita might notice her staring, she lowered her head once again.

"Is there something wrong with what I said?"

"Now is not the time for that!"

Suzune Horikita was already feeling somewhat helpless, but she quickly realized her lapse in composure, gave a hurried cough, and forcefully steered the conversation back on track.

"So, Keima Katsuragi, what are your plans for the future?"

"Nothing particularly special, I suppose. Just tutoring the students; after all, if we want to raise everyone's grades, this is the only way to do it—the study sessions you mentioned."

"Yes, I intend to gather them for remedial lessons in order from the lowest scores on the last quiz to the highest. That is the most efficient method, so I would like to ask for your help in inviting those students, such as Yamauchi and Sudo."

Suzune Horikita's expression was incredibly serious, while Airi Sakura, sitting to the side, had lowered her head even further, almost burying it in her bowl.

Airi Sakura's own academic ability was not particularly outstanding, and she hadn't performed well on the last quiz.

Although she wasn't as abysmal as the bottom few, she was still in the lower tier.

Listening to Suzune Horikita's words, Airi Sakura felt increasingly embarrassed, a sense of self-reproach stirring in her heart.

However, Suzune Horikita did not notice the change in Airi Sakura's expression at all; she only cared about how Keima Katsuragi would respond.

"Wait a second, I have a question. Why isn't Elsie included?"

Keima Katsuragi asked, looking somewhat puzzled.

Elsie was the one who was truly in last place.

And she had secured that first place with an absolute, crushing lead.