The Classroom of the Elite

"To actually feel sympathy for the enemy—are you people not suffering enough in your own lives?"

"This meal cost a pretty penny today, didn't it? By tomorrow, you'll get a taste of hell!"

"..."

He single-handedly debated the crowd, not losing an inch of ground.

"Sakayanagi, in a certain sense, you Class A students really are something else." ↑￡〇"∞

Taking advantage of the chaos to grab a few more bottles of sparkling water, Hoshino En poured for the girls around him while remarking with a sigh.

"In this regard, you've definitely beaten Katsuragi."

"But if Kamuro had been a bit more competitive, I could have taken you down too."

Sakayanagi Arisu sipped her sparkling water in small mouthfuls, sounding slightly dissatisfied.

It seemed her twisted train of thought had finally rerailed—good, good...

"If you'd just teach Kamuro a trick or two, she'd definitely..."

"So, are you actually gay or not?"

—What the hell!!

Hoshino En stared at Sakayanagi Arisu, whose face was full of suspicion, his mood complicated and a little shattered.

Not just because he was being suspected of being a homo, but mainly because of Sakayanagi Arisu's attitude toward it.

Why does this kid care so much about this? Is she trying to use it to threaten me?

Let alone whether I'd even cave to that kind of threat—you can already see right through me, and now you want a hold over me? Aren't you being way too damn excessive?!

"I told you, I don't like guys..."

"I don't believe you, unless you prove it to me!"

Such familiar lines! Hoshino En instinctively glanced at Karuizawa Kei across from him, their gazes brushing past each other.

"You... how do you want me to prove it? Hedgehog▲]4% discount proxy" ≤:∞′Si￣∧Six Nine Zero∶Seven Eight Lin"

"Kiss me."

Sakayanagi Arisu pursed her lips.

Hoshino En was dumbfounded.

"How could I possibly do something like that? The Chairman would kill me!"

"Father is a very steady person. He wouldn't be so impulsive."

Like hell he wouldn't! You haven't seen the terrifying expression on his face when he saw that [ambiguous] call from you.

"No way, no way. Just no. I've got a little sister at home to take care of—I can't end up sunk in Tokyo Bay right now."

"Exactly, Sakayanagi. Doing that really isn't right."

Ichinose Honami chimed in too. She could see it clearly now: the reason Hoshino-kun was so unrestrained with girls was all because Sakayanagi had spoiled him into it.

"You two aren't even boyfriend and girlfriend—you can't do something so morally corrupt!"

"I'm fine with it, and Hoshino-kun's the one getting the advantage. What business is it of yours, Ichinose?"

Sakayanagi Arisu shot back without a hint of fear.

The commotion here had also turned into a chaotic mess.

Hoshino En: "..."

Tired. Let it all burn.

"Is Hoshino-kun troubled?"

Just then, a soft hand brushed against Hoshino En's forehead, smoothing out his furrowed brow.

Her gentle, frail voice echoed in Hoshino En's ears, the pure tone temporarily washing away his anxiety.

"Of course. A guy being taken for gay is no less of a social death than [openly discussing the opposite sex's figure in public]—it's a devastating blow to one's reputation."

Hoshino En reached out to feed this little cutie and asked.

"Shiina, do I really look like some kind of [woman-repelling, man-only] homo?"

"Not at all. Hoshino-kun always gives off a very comfortable vibe, and I've never felt you deliberately favor boys."

"Right! So why does Sakayanagi misunderstand? Girls can be close, even [sleep foot-to-foot and bare it all], and no one bats an eye, but if two guys just address each other a little intimately, people jump to conclusions? It's not fair!"

And honestly, whether it was Kiyotaka or A-Sho, he really did like them both... well, more like [appreciated] them.

"Emmm... Hoshino-kun, girls in love often become more unreasonable than usual. You'll have to get used to it."

Shiina's explanation pointed to only one conclusion, a realm Hoshino En completely refused to believe.

"Huh? You're saying she likes me?"

"Mm-hmm. Sakayanagi's been showing it pretty clearly. Everyone should have noticed by now."

"No way... She just sees me as a [rival she has to defeat]. How could she possibly feel that way about me?"

"The moment she completely defeats me, she'll lose interest in me immediately. Shiina, you must be misunderstanding."

"Mmm... Hoshino-kun, your prejudice against Sakayanagi-san is way too deep."

"What interesting things are you two chatting about?"

Just then, Sakayanagi Arisu's voice cut in.

Hoshino En turned his head and saw that she had already stopped arguing with Ichinose Honami, while Class D's quarrel with Totsuka Yahiko had been mediated by Katsuragi Kohei and Hirata Yosuke working together.

They, along with Ryuen Kakeru who had been watching the show, were all staring blankly at him.

"What are you looking at me for? I've already told you everything I could figure out. What else do you want to talk about?"

Katsuragi Kohei & Ryuen Kakeru & Hirata Yosuke: "..."

"Uh... well then, Hoshino-kun, let's talk again in class tomorrow."

Hirata Yosuke was the first to withdraw, calling the remaining seven people who still wanted to hear gossip to go eat barbecue.

They'd been chatting and eavesdropping the whole time and hadn't eaten much yet—there was no way they were wasting that money they'd already spent.

The [Empress Group], who wanted to dig for drama, were calmed down by Matsushita Chiaki and sent back. Since Karuizawa Kei had already charged in headfirst, her progress was way ahead of everyone else's, so they had nothing to worry about.

To be honest, even though Hirata Yosuke valued [Class Harmony], he was also the one who cared most about others' feelings.

But Katsuragi Kohei and Ryuen Kakeru showed no sign of leaving. One stood there, just staring at Hoshino En; the other sat in his seat, eating while watching.

As for Ichinose Honami, she hadn't left either.

"Ichinose, aren't you going back? Your class should still be having their party, right?"

"Oh, it's been a while. They already finished eating and left."

She glanced at the messages on her phone, then said.

"Anyway, I don't have anything else to do after this, so I think I'll stay and hear you two out."

Why does everyone think he still has something to say?! Help!

Hoshino En turned to look at Sakayanagi Arisu and found her holding her cup, staring at him with an expectant expression.

So it's because of you!

But in the end, it was [Today's Work Today], especially regarding the bet with Sakayanagi—if he deliberately dragged it to tomorrow, this kid might get so mad she'd jump up and hit his knees.

But if he said it now, the situation would only get more chaotic... Whatever, since he was already stirring the pot, one more stir wouldn't hurt.

"Sakayanagi, let's talk about the bet."

Katsuragi Kohei & Ryuen Kakeru & Ichinose Honami & Kushida Kikyo, who was perking up her ears: ...!!!

This guy really does have more to say!

"I've been waiting for you to bring that up!"

When it came to matters of winning and losing, Sakayanagi Arisu instantly cast aside the unpleasantness from earlier, brimming with fighting spirit.

"[After the first month's Behavioral Norms Exam, how many Class Points will the four first-year classes have left], we were comparing the difference from the actual results, right?"

"Right. We take the difference, average it across the four classes, and see whose is smaller. As for the stakes..."

"If I win, you agree to one condition from me; if you win, I let you touch my legs. That's correct, isn't it?"

"Correct, and I need at least ten minutes."

Hoshino En pulled out his phone, placed it screen-down on the table—he'd already written his guesses in advance.

Beside him, Sakayanagi Arisu did the same.

"But if you want to touch, I'll let you have your fill right now. You could even touch in my room later."

Besides taking out her phone, she also lifted her school skirt slightly, revealing her cute feet wrapped in white thigh-high socks underneath.

Touch me~ Touch me~ Offer your heart to me! Hahaha—Hoshino En could almost hear those mischievous little feet tempting him like that.

But he remained completely unmoved.

"Touching now would be your charity; touching later would be my rightful spoils. I'm not that desperate."

Back when Karuizawa Kei stripped naked in front of him, he hadn't wavered. How could two pieces of meat wrapped in white cloth shake him now?

"By the way, you suddenly stopped obsessing—was it because you thought of this bet?"

"That's right! Being interested in a girl's legs is a bit bizarre to me, but I can accept that much."

"Also, about my condition, I've decided it now: If I win, you have to kiss me in front of every girl you're connected with."

The onlookers: "..."

Watching the two of them discuss such a risqué bet without any regard for the people around them, they were speechless.

These two really didn't hold back at all!

"Karuizawa-san, I feel like Hoshino-kun's aura is completely different from before. Do you have any idea why?"

The four closest to them felt it the most, but Kamuro Masumi was already used to their antics, Shiina Hiyori hadn't noticed at all, and Karuizawa Kei already knew about Hoshino En's situation, so in the end, only Ichinose Honami raised the question.

Sakayanagi Arisu had just revealed her true nature—in fact, her behavior before today was the anomaly—but Ichinose Honami was seeing Hoshino En in this state for the first time.

Last time at the café, he could still laugh and joke, playing the fool—but now only indifference remained.

"This is the real Hoshino-kun, you know. He's not a kind person at all. The reason he was so 'friendly' with us, and with Ryuen-kun and Katsuragi-kun before, is because he really 'liked' us, so he was willing to play along."

Karuizawa Kei's voice wasn't quiet—even the Class D seven, focused on grilling meat, could hear it—but Hoshino En himself showed no sign of wavering at having his thoughts exposed.

"All of them? You sure? That's a hassle."

"No hassle. Just the people here now: Kamuro-san, Karuizawa-san, Ichinose-san, Shiina-san, and that Kushida-san over there who's been eavesdropping. You just need to kiss them five times total. On the lips, each lasting at least two minutes."

Well, thanks to Sakayanagi Arisu's call-out, the eavesdropping Kushida Kikyo found herself under siege from the Class D girls—fortunately, the meat was almost done grilling, so they could enjoy the show of Hoshino En and Sakayanagi Arisu's bet with their meal.

"This is different from what you said before... Forget it. You sure? You'll run out of oxygen. Consequences are on you."

"Of course!"

"Then—"

"Three, two, one!"

They flipped their phones at the same time.

Sakayanagi Arisu: [A:940; B:720; C:500; D:100]

Hoshino En: [A:920; B:680; C:480; D:0]

"Oh my~ Hoshino-kun's ratings for everyone are quite low? And you gave Class D zero points—hasn't Kushida-san already told the Class D students the truth about the school?"

To be honest, aside from Class C, Hoshino En's scores for the other three classes far exceeded Sakayanagi's expectations.

Except for Class C, the other classes should have been open-book exams, right? Why did Hoshino-kun have such a dim view of them?

"Originally, my rating for Class A was about the same as yours, between 940 and 955. But Katsuragi's arrangements disappointed me. Letting that loose-tongued guy into the class's leadership core lowered my evaluation of Class A."

"I understand he wants to use that guy's slip-ups to probe the other classes' intentions, but that kind of work should be left to inconspicuous small fries in the class, not someone at the core of the class's leadership. Rather, letting a character who would provoke the ire of other classes into the leadership core is itself a wrong choice, no matter how good their relationship is."

"Nepotism is a major taboo no matter the era."

This was clearly a jab at Totsuka Yahiko, who had clashed with Class D earlier.