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

"This guy... how was he so fast during the first half?!"

Even the swimming instructor was shocked for a moment, realizing he had completely underestimated this student.

As a teacher, he had the authority to view student profiles.

[Keima Katsuragi]

[Stamina: E]

This student, shouldn't his stamina be an E?

Did he hide his true strength when he enrolled?

"Big Brother! Go for it!!!!"

Nearby, Elsie, wearing a swim ring, shouted loudly at Keima Katsuragi.

Further away, Airi Sakura couldn't help but take a few steps forward, watching Keima Katsuragi in the pool.

But just as he passed the halfway point, Keima Katsuragi's speed suddenly became incredibly slow.

What's going on?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was puzzled, but he took the opportunity to overtake his opponent, slowed down slightly, and reached the finish line.

"Not a bad time, twenty-six point five four seconds."

The teacher looked at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka with a smile.

"What was this student's name again?"

"I remember it's Ayanokoji; I feel like he doesn't have much of a presence in class."

"His swimming level is actually pretty good."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka heard the discussions among the surrounding students.

This was outside of his plan.

Because he didn't know what the normal swimming speed for an average boy was, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka wasn't sure what speed would keep him in the middle of the pack, so he could only use Keima Katsuragi as a reference sample.

And this caused Ayanokoji Kiyotaka to use a speed that exceeded his expectations; even though he slowed down in the second half, he still achieved a rather eye-catching result, nearly identical to Yosuke Hirata, ranking fourth among the boys.

Thinking about it this way...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka turned his head and looked toward the pool.

It took several seconds before Keima Katsuragi finally reached the finish line.

"Katsuragi-kun, your time is thirty-six point five four seconds... Katsuragi-kun!"

Keima Katsuragi had just climbed out of the lane, but a peaceful smile appeared on his face; he sat to the side with his eyes closed and his head drooping.

The God had burned out.

Driven by his games, Keima Katsuragi could break through his limits in a short burst.

But his endurance was still hard to compliment.

By the second half, Keima Katsuragi's stamina bar had already been completely emptied.

"Big Brother!"

Elsie rushed to Keima Katsuragi's side, shaking him vigorously, causing his head to bob back and forth like a yo-yo.

"Elsie-san, wait a moment! You're going to shake Katsuragi-kun to death!"

On the second floor of the swimming center, a girl with white hair reaching her waist was leaning against the railing. She possessed an incredibly exquisite face, but those red eyes cast an unfathomable gaze.

A smile played on her face as she watched the unconscious Keima Katsuragi with great interest.

"Sigh, a very interesting guy actually came to the first year this year."

A meaningful smile appeared on her face.

The swimming lesson finally ended, and Keima Katsuragi, as if he had been saved, changed his clothes at top speed and fled the scene.

The swimming just now had completely drained his stamina, and his legs were now trembling slightly.

"God of Conquest, are you okay?"

Beside him, Elsie asked with a worried expression.

"For someone like me, the God of Conquest... this is hardly a problem at all!"

Although Keima Katsuragi said this, his voice was already trembling.

"Let's hurry to the cafeteria to eat... by the way, for a while, I'm afraid I'll only be able to afford the cheapest set meal."

"Huh? Why!"

"Because my private points are almost all spent."

Keima Katsuragi sighed. Aside from daily necessities, his handheld console, games, and the deal with Sae Chabashira had all added up to cost quite a lot of points.

However, in Keima Katsuragi's eyes, it was all worth it.

But just at that moment, a figure appeared before him.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"Katsuragi-kun, do you have a moment to talk?"

Soon, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Keima Katsuragi arrived at a deserted corner of the school.

Keima Katsuragi had absolutely no idea why Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was looking for him.

Come to think of it, Keima Katsuragi had actually keenly sensed before that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to be observing him quite often.

"Ayanokoji-kun, is there something you need?"

Keima Katsuragi asked.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka looked at Keima Katsuragi, the lethargy in his eyes seemingly diminished compared to usual.

After the swimming class just now, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was certain that Keima Katsuragi was definitely no ordinary person.

Many things had happened in the class previously, which had already convinced Ayanokoji Kiyotaka that Keima Katsuragi possessed abilities far beyond those of a typical student.

Especially that ability to influence the people around him.

In just a few short days, the attitudes of Airi Sakura and Suzune Horikita toward him had undergone subtle changes.

Without a doubt, it was Keima Katsuragi who was manipulating all of this from the shadows.

However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was not sure what the other party's identity or purpose was.

And the swimming class just now made Ayanokoji Kiyotaka suspect that Keima Katsuragi might be targeting him.

By exploiting his own lack of understanding regarding normal speeds, he had lured him into revealing a bit of his strength in front of the class.

If that were true, then his usual appearance of being obsessed with games was very likely a disguise.

I previously thought that staying as unnoticed as possible was the best disguise.

But Katsuragi has made me realize that this line of thinking is wrong.

The more attention one draws, the easier it is to hide one's true identity.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thought to himself, though he was also clear that this was merely his own conjecture for now.

To verify it, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka decided to appear before Keima Katsuragi of his own accord.

By communicating face-to-face, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could better observe the other party; even if the other party were hiding something, he would still be able to glean some useful information from his words and actions.

"I want to know, how did you do it?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked.

"Do what?"

"Swimming. I feel like Katsuragi-kun doesn't look like the type who excels at sports, but at the beginning, Katsuragi-kun exceeded my expectations. If it weren't for you slowing down in the second half, I might have been left behind by you."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said with some reservations.

Having grown up in the White Room, he lacked the emotions that ordinary people possessed and felt indifferent toward most things.

But when swimming with Keima Katsuragi earlier, a strong sense of curiosity had arisen in his heart.

Why did Keima Katsuragi, who clearly looked like he hadn't undergone any training, possess that kind of speed?

In Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's eyes, Keima Katsuragi's deceleration in the second half looked more like he was deliberately acting and holding back.

Upon hearing the other party's response, a meaningful smile appeared on Keima Katsuragi's face.

"It's love!"

Volume One: Chapter Fifty-Three: Ayanokoji, you actually want to play gal games, don't you!

"Love?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka heard this term and fell into deep thought.

Defined by the noun, love is a strong, positive state of emotion and psychology.

It represents deep and sincere feelings for a person or thing; it is a profound fondness for people, events, or objects.

Defined biologically, it is nothing more than emotional changes brought about by the secretion of hormones.

However, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had never felt love or been loved, so he did not understand what Keima Katsuragi's words actually meant.

"Because someone is watching me, that is why I can feel the power."

As Keima Katsuragi spoke, he lowered his head to look at the handheld console in his grip.

What he was referring to were the characters in the game.

Playing games while swimming made the female characters on the screen feel as if they were giving him motivation.

It was precisely the bond between himself and those characters in the game world that allowed him to transcend the limits of his body and gain astonishing explosive power.

"Someone is watching?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pondered Keima Katsuragi's words.

Someone was watching Keima Katsuragi.

Is it Horikita?

Or is it Kikyo Kushida?

Or perhaps Sakura?

Come to think of it, there seemed to be quite a few people watching Keima Katsuragi while he was swimming.

Can a person unleash greater potential if they have an audience?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could not understand the meaning behind Keima Katsuragi's words at all.

This was knowledge that had never been taught in the White Room.

Watching Ayanokoji Kiyotaka lost in thought, Keima Katsuragi assumed that the other party might have developed an interest in the games he played.

"Have you heard of CLANNAD?"

"No."

"Have you heard of Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue?"

"No."

"Do you know what an AVG is?"

"I don't."

"Do you know what a Gala Game is?"

"I don't."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had never heard of these terms before.

"Sigh, how do you not know anything? You seem to be a bit lacking in common sense."

Keima Katsuragi let out a sigh.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had not expected that the Keima Katsuragi before him would seem to see through his true nature at a single glance.