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

Upon hearing these words, Suzune Horikita looked at Keima Katsuragi thoughtfully, remaining silent.

Keima Katsuragi, however, continued speaking:

"Your flaws are obvious: you're self-righteous, antisocial, arrogant, sharp-tongued..."

"You!"

"And your emotions are easily swayed by others. It's a shame that someone as pretty as you has such a personality."

Suzune Horikita's mouth hung open; she had intended to retort, but she suddenly found herself at a loss for words and fell back into silence.

He was clearly attacking her with his words, yet he had ended with such an inexplicable remark.

At this moment, she couldn't help but recall the previous conversation between Manabu Horikita and Keima Katsuragi.

Could it be that she was truly wrong before?

Viewing those around her as burdens.

Come to think of it, school hadn't been in session for long, and she hadn't even bothered to understand anyone else.

But...

Just as Suzune Horikita was struggling with her thoughts, Keima Katsuragi's voice rang in her ears once again:

"However, Horikita, there is no need for you to change anything."

"Huh? You just spent all that time badmouthing me, and now you're telling me this? What exactly do you mean?"

Suzune Horikita frowned at Keima Katsuragi, completely unable to grasp his intentions.

"What I said were indeed your flaws, but they are also your defining traits."

Keima Katsuragi suddenly set down his handheld console and turned to look at Suzune Horikita.

Their gazes collided, and the sudden eye contact caused Suzune Horikita to freeze for a moment, her eyes instinctively darting away.

"Don't worry about others; just do what you believe is right. Acting for the sake of your own ideals is nothing to be ashamed of—being able to stay true to your individuality, Horikita, that is your third strength."

"You..."

Suzune Horikita shifted her gaze back to him.

This guy...

Why does he keep saying such inexplicable things?!

Seriously, seriously!

At this moment, the distance between the two was very close, and Keima Katsuragi could even feel the gentle, rapid breath of Suzune Horikita.

"You must never tell anyone about what happened tonight!"

"Got it, got it."

Volume 1: Chapter 47: Unraveling the Knot, the Unknown Side of Suzune Horikita

"There is one more thing, student Katsuragi."

As if remembering something, Suzune Horikita asked curiously.

"What is it?"

"Aren't you worried at all about the agreement you made with Teacher Chabashira?"

"Worried about what?"

"The terms of the agreement. The difficulty is not low. Setting aside the class ranking, just the requirement of not getting expelled during official exams isn't exactly simple, is it?"

"It's fine. After all, just not getting expelled during official exams isn't that hard. A normal person should have no problem passing... It's worth it just to be able to play games in class."

After saying this, Keima Katsuragi's expression stiffened slightly.

This matter, it seems, might not be that simple after all...

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

Keima Katsuragi immediately shook his head.

"What if you fail?"

"Even if someone really does get expelled, it would only mean returning the points I received earlier. The points spent are far lower than the price Mashima offered, so I won't be losing anything regardless."

Keima Katsuragi said, "Instead of talking about that, we should consider the other exams that might come later."

"Other exams?"

A flash of confusion crossed Suzune Horikita's face.

"When Teacher Chabashira was talking to me earlier, she kept using the term 'official exams'."

"Is there a problem with that? It's probably just to distinguish them from regular monthly exams."

"But most teachers would just say midterms or finals, wouldn't they?"

"Come to think of it, that does seem to be the case, but does it really prove anything?"

"During the entrance ceremony speech, your brother repeatedly mentioned 'ability,' and Teacher Chabashira did the same."

Keima Katsuragi explained, "Based on what Teacher Chabashira said earlier, the midterms and finals should just be standard written exams. Since that's the case, they only test a student's 'academic ability,' not their 'ability.' Therefore, I speculate that there are other types of exams besides the official ones, though those exams aren't covered by the contract, so it doesn't matter to me—of course, this is just my guess."

Suzune Horikita scrutinized the boy in front of her; she hadn't even considered this issue before.

Academic ability, observational skills, deductive reasoning—Keima Katsuragi was top-tier in almost every aspect.

Manabu Horikita also felt that Keima Katsuragi was special.

Suzune Horikita realized that she might need to understand the person in front of her a bit better.

"What are you doing?"

Keima Katsuragi's voice pulled Suzune Horikita's thoughts back to reality, and she realized she had been staring at him while lost in thought for quite a while.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and Suzune Horikita hurriedly shifted her gaze to the side.

"Come to think of it, what exactly do you like about games?"

"Games bring me joy that reality cannot provide. The people in games have distinct personalities and are full of charm; in my eyes, they are girls who have traveled through time, waiting to meet me!"

"Are they really that attractive?"

"Of course. You aren't getting interested in games too, are you?"

"I, I, I am not! But if I were to learn a little bit about them, it wouldn't be..."

"If you want to play, go buy a handheld console yourself. I only have two right now."

"Who asked you!"

Meanwhile, in the dormitory.

Airi Sakura lay on her bed, looking at the game cartridge in her hand.

"I, I bought it..."

At the time, Airi Sakura had no idea which game to buy, so she asked the clerk which one had the best reputation.

Accompanied by Shiina Hiyori, Airi Sakura finally gathered the courage to buy the game cartridge.

However, Airi Sakura thought of a more serious problem.

How exactly was she supposed to give this game cartridge to Keima Katsuragi?

She couldn't help but imagine the potential scene...

There was simply...

No way she could bring it up...

But...

Why am I so concerned about Keima Katsuragi?

This question arose in Airi Sakura's heart, but she had no idea what the answer was.

"Forget it... let's update my feed for today first..."

Airi Sakura suddenly felt motivated again and posted one of her favorite photos from her collection.

[User 575]: You're so pretty, miss!

[User DidYouEatToday]: Full of energy again today!

[User snmcvnv]: So cute!

Looking at the comments praising her, a happy smile appeared on Airi Sakura's face.

But just then, she saw a few comments.

[User Anonymous]: I saw you again today~

[User Anonymous]: You're so cute today, too.

[User Anonymous]: I've been able to see you every day for the past few days. Shizuku must have come just to see me, right!

[User Anonymous]: We couldn't be alone before, so come by yourself next time! Let's enjoy our time together!

Looking at these fanatical remarks, Airi Sakura's body trembled, and a hint of fear appeared in her eyes.

She remembered that when she went to the game store today, she happened to pass by the area where she had bought her camera.

The clerk from last time was there, too.

He had seen her, and he had kept staring at her...

Could it be...

No, it wasn't necessarily just her being paranoid...

This person was probably just a fanatical fan online...

Airi Sakura comforted herself with this thought in her heart.

The next morning.

Keima Katsuragi arrived in the classroom.

"G-good morning, Katsuragi-san..."

"Good morning, Sakura-san."

Keima Katsuragi greeted Airi Sakura, then sat back down in his seat.

Airi Sakura watched Keima Katsuragi out of the corner of her eye, but her heart became even more conflicted.

How on earth was she supposed to give the game to Keima Katsuragi!

Airi Sakura had absolutely no experience with this kind of thing!

Should she just ask him directly?

No...

What if the other students noticed...

Then, should she wait until there was no one else around to give it to him?

Just as Airi Sakura was feeling incredibly conflicted, she heard the voice of Suzune Horikita from her side.

"Good morning."

"Huh?"

Airi Sakura turned her head in utter shock.

Had she misheard just now?

Did Horikita-san actually take the initiative to greet Katsuragi-san?