A Story Starting from Classroom of the Elite

The cafeteria was bustling with people, lively and crowded.

"Kamuro-san, thank you for your help just now."

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her voice as clear and resonant as a plucked harp string.

"Let me treat you to breakfast."

Kamuro Masumi gently shook her head in refusal; she had only acted out of pity for the girl and had no other intentions.

"No need."

After the brief response, she seemed to realize her tone was blunt and added, "I was heading this way anyway."

Sakayanagi Arisu continued unhurriedly, "Please don't refuse. Actually, I was hoping you could help me buy breakfast as well."

This follow-up move was executed so smoothly that Kamuro Masumi was left without a counter.

Since her classmate was in poor health and had asked for help buying breakfast, it would be unreasonable to refuse.

Watching Kamuro Masumi walk into the crowd to join the queue, Sakayanagi Arisu sat down with satisfaction.

Before long, Kamuro Masumi hurried back, carrying a tray in both hands.

"Which one would you like?"

Because she had been in such a rush, she had forgotten to ask what Sakayanagi Arisu wanted to eat.

In such a public place, it wasn't appropriate to ask loudly.

Thus, she had bought one of each of the two most popular sets sold in the cafeteria.

One was a Western-style breakfast, consisting of a sandwich, milk, sausage, and a fried egg.

The other was a Japanese-style breakfast, containing rice, miso soup, fish, vegetables, and fruit.

"This one, of course."

Sakayanagi Arisu said.

She suffered from a congenital heart condition and needed to avoid high-salt foods, puffed snacks, animal liver, high-sugar foods, raw or cold foods, and so on.

As she spoke, she took the Japanese-style breakfast from the tray.

Her process of eating was like a precise experiment.

Watching Sakayanagi Arisu use the tip of her chopsticks to push the pickled radish to the corner, Kamuro Masumi raised an eyebrow at the subtle movement.

Two days ago, she had clearly witnessed this young lady down a cup of black coffee in one go.

So, did the young lady actually care about her health, or did she have self-destructive tendencies?

Ten minutes later, the two finished their meal.

Sakayanagi Arisu pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and elegantly wiped the corners of her mouth.

"Kamuro-san, the club orientation is this afternoon. Do you have any clubs you're interested in?"

She asked.

"Not yet."

Kamuro Masumi replied.

"Then, would you like to accompany me to the Chess Club?"

Sakayanagi Arisu looked at her with eyes full of anticipation.

Although Kamuro Masumi knew she was acting, she was still moved by her adorable appearance.

"I really can't do anything with you."

She said helplessly, then consciously moved closer to Sakayanagi Arisu and reached out to support her.

Along the way, they chatted every now and then.

Kamuro Masumi's thoughts drifted, and she wondered, Is this Sakayanagi Arisu's way of demonstrating her strength? Using club seniors as stepping stones to show her own power through victory and defeat.

However, she had only heard of chess and had never delved into it, which made her feel it might be troublesome.

Still, she was a person who knew how to adapt.

By observing the outcome of the matches later, as well as the changes in the expressions of Sakayanagi Arisu and the seniors, she would be able to roughly distinguish the gap in strength between them.

Sakayanagi Arisu's father was the chairman of Advanced Nurturing High School, and she was undoubtedly the most distinguished VIP player on campus.

But unlike online games, to maintain the appearance of fairness, she would not excessively use the power behind her.

Like other children of top-tier elites, having prior knowledge of some school information was her inherent head start.

According to her original plan, she had intended to go to the club yesterday to earn some pocket money.

However, Tanaka Yukishin had turned the Secret Exam into a semi-open-book situation.

At this moment, the priority was naturally to win over classmates and expand the strength of her own faction.

Once that was taken care of, other matters wouldn't be resolved in the short term anyway.

Thus, she picked up her original plan once more.

Get some pocket money, and incidentally, open Kamuro Masumi's eyes a little.

Just then, a dinging sound rang out.

This was the special notification alert Kamuro Masumi had set for Tanaka Yukishin's account.

She quickly pulled her student terminal from her pocket and tapped open the contact list.

Her fingertips slid lightly, and text popped up on the screen.

Tanaka Yukishin's message was clearly displayed: "Bring me two breakfasts. The room number is 402."

Kamuro Masumi's expression changed slightly, then she began to smile.

This is exactly what I wanted; let Sakayanagi Arisu have a run-in with this monster.

If I want to recruit her, I can't let her carry hidden landmines around.

Should I be direct?

Perhaps it would be better to invite her to go along, and at most, give her a slight heads-up.

"Sorry, I need to deliver breakfast to my big brother. Would Classmate Sakayanagi be interested in coming along to meet him?"

Kamuro Masumi said.

"Big brother?"

The first person to appear in Sakayanagi Arisu's mind was Katsuragi Kohei, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

Although Kamuro Masumi seemed a bit scatterbrained, she wasn't an idiot, and her previous attitude didn't fit that at all.

Then who could it be?

Is it a third party lurking in the class, the boss of all the free agents?

Or a competitor, a student from one of the other three classes?

Or perhaps an acquaintance from middle school, a relative by blood?

Or a senior from the upper grades?

Kamuro Masumi didn't play coy; after all, she was counting on Sakayanagi Arisu to be reliable and help her clear away the hidden landmines on her.

"It's Tanaka Yukishin from Class D of the first year."

"Class D of the first year!"

Sakayanagi Arisu was astonished.

That was a competitor, and this wasn't the first month of school during a normal Secret Exam.

After the Sender incident, Kamuro Masumi was still openly telling her, the leader of the Class A faction, about this.

She couldn't help but be filled with curiosity about Tanaka Yukishin.

Is he a powerhouse, an incredibly strong one, who subdued Kamuro Masumi with his strength and personal charisma?

Or does Kamuro Masumi have some dirt held over her by the other party?

As for both being true, she never even considered it.

Chapter 35-36 The First Meeting of Tanaka and Sakayanagi

Sakayanagi Arisu readily accepted Kamuro Masumi's invitation.

Whether from a personal perspective or for the sake of the class's overall situation.

She had to win Kamuro Masumi back.

Supporting each other, the two walked slowly forward.

Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the leaves, forming patches of mottled light and shadow.

The flowers by the tree-lined path were delicate and dripping with dew, and a gentle breeze blew by, bringing waves of floral fragrance.

Walking to a bench, Kamuro Masumi carefully helped Sakayanagi Arisu sit down.

Afterward, she turned and walked toward the cafeteria.

402.

Inside the room, Tanaka Yukishin and Karuizawa Kei were snuggled together, enjoying this moment of tenderness.

Knock, knock.

The sound of knocking echoed.

Karuizawa Kei's expression instantly turned tense, a hint of panic showing in her eyes.

Seeing this, the corners of Tanaka Yukishin's mouth curled up slightly, and he joked:

"What happened to the courage you had yesterday to go to school with me?"

Karuizawa Kei glared at him with feigned anger.

That was, at most, just a declaration of ownership yesterday.

How could those two things be compared?

If people saw a man and a woman together in the same dormitory room.

The consequences would be huge.

Seeing the dangerous look in Karuizawa Kei's eyes.

To prevent her from getting embarrassed and lashing out.

Tanaka Yukishin decided to quit while he was ahead.

"Alright, alright, if you're scared, just cover yourself with the blanket. I'll send whoever is outside away right now."

He got up, pulled a pair of shorts and a shirt from the closet, and put them on while walking toward the door.

Peering through the peephole, he saw it was Kamuro Masumi.

He opened the door just enough to create a gap the width of his body.

"Big brother, break... fast."

Kamuro Masumi's words stuttered the moment she saw Tanaka Yukishin.

But there was no helping that.

If the impression Tanaka Yukishin left on her the day they first met was perverted lecher → devil who toys with hearts → cunning fox who finds joy in teasing her.

Then the Tanaka Yukishin before her now was a lion that had just woken from its slumber.

For a brief moment of being captivated by his masculine charm, she felt that being a lackey for Tanaka Yukishin wasn't so bad after all.

Standing beside her, Sakayanagi Arisu raised both hands to cover her eyes.