Classroom of the Mediocre Supremacist

"Hey! What do you mean by that?!"

The man in question predictably exploded.

He sprang up from his seat a second time, rushed over to Hoshino En's table, and shouted at him. "You—!"

His actions didn't faze Hoshino En in the slightest, but they startled Shiina Hiyori, who had been listening intently to his analysis.

Before she could let out a [startled deer's cry], Hoshino En's right arm slipped behind her, wrapping around her shoulder to calm her down.

With his own man being publicly called out for an error he didn't even realize, Katsuragi Kohei's pride was stung.

"Yahiko, quiet!!"

He reached out and pressed down on Totsuka Yahiko's shoulder, stopping his rampage.

Rather than picking a fight with Hoshino En and disrupting his judgment, it was better to let him keep talking—maybe they'd even glean some intel on the other classes.

Hoshino En saw right through Katsuragi's little scheme, but it didn't affect him at all. He continued talking about Class B.

Ichinose Honami, sitting diagonally across from him, instinctively straightened her back and sat up.

"As for Class B, we saw them this afternoon too. Their situation is just as I analyzed before—they're a bunch of kind little angels, planets orbiting around Ichinose Honami. If they'd known about the exam in advance, they could've done well. But they have another weakness: they're far too easy to lead by the nose."

"This afternoon, with just a few of your excuses and Ichinose's timid reaction, they immediately believed your story and put you in the [should be helped] camp, without even bothering to verify anything."

"Even if they can strictly follow the [code of conduct], they'll struggle to keep their cool under provocation from other classes."

"If A-Sho sends Class C to harass them, they'll easily [get into a scuffle] with Class C students, leading to point deductions—and that's the truth."

Ichinose Honami's straight spine slumped.

Hoshino En didn't care about her reaction. Right now, he only wanted to indulge in his beloved [deduction]—that rush of pleasure shooting from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, a high he doubted he'd ever kick.

"Then there's Class C. Honestly, I kinda like A-Sho."

Sakayanagi Arisu: Huh?

The onlookers: ...Huh?

A-Sho Kakeru Man Himself: What?

"He realized something was off about the school on the very first day and started taking over his class. It only took him twelve days to complete his rule over all of Class C."

Hoshino En didn't hide his praise at all, completely ignoring the strange looks around him.

"Sure, using violence to unify has its downsides, but for Class C—where [most people are idiots and reasoning with them is useless]—it's actually the fastest method. The time gained from this more than offsets the negative effects of violence."

No, could it be that he/I just can't reason with people?

"And he didn't slack off for the remaining eighteen days either. He kept harassing Class A and Class B, gradually testing the school's limits, and caused considerable damage to both classes."

Hearing him speak in such an approving tone, Ichinose Honami & Katsuragi Kohei thought: There's no need to endorse that!!

"It's just a shame that violence is ultimately unacceptable. Even if he tried to reduce its impact by blocking the cameras, [blocking the cameras] itself is an action that leads to severe point deductions. Their Class C's score is definitely low."

"Wait! Hoshino-kun, I still have a question. You—"

"I'm not bi, and I don't do shit-stirrers."

Sakayanagi Arisu's thoughts were practically written on her face—how could Hoshino En not know?

He lifted her chin with his hand, his warm breath brushing against her cheek and ear, stirring up a deep blush.

"I'm a healthy male with an instinctual desire for the opposite sex, especially now that I've hit puberty—do you really need to feel it for yourself to stop doubting?"

Sakayanagi Arisu said nothing, just let out a sulky [hmph].

The onlookers: "..."

This is about to go live!

Exciting~

So, would Hoshino En actually kiss Sakayanagi Arisu in front of a crowd of gawking spectators?

The answer was, of course, [no].

"If you want it, wait until you win."

He coldly released Sakayanagi Arisu, pushed her aside, and took a small sip of his sparkling water.

Mere feminine charms—I am unafraid!!!

Cultivation: Minor success!

The next stage was [breaking through mass's influence on gravity], at least reaching the point of [staying unflustered in the face of Kushida Kikyo's scale], and being reborn.

But the gawking crowd was dumbfounded, and the pushed-aside Sakayanagi Arisu was too.

With a golden opportunity like that, you didn't go for it? Are you brain-damaged?!

Their thoughts were so obvious that Hoshino En could guess them easily.

So, he spoke.

"Young people not focusing on improving themselves, just indulging in lovey-dovey, kissy-kissy stuff... what are you going to do with yourselves later on?!"

"And when people get excited, their heart rate spikes. Sakayanagi has a heart condition. What if she can't catch her breath, goes into shock, and suffocates? Would any of you take responsibility?"

The crowd listening found this reasonable enough—no one should push someone to the brink of death over a single meal.

"Ahem, Hoshino-kun, please continue. There's still Class D to cover."

Sakayanagi Arisu had composed herself, though it seemed she'd lost another round.

"As for Class D's situation, why did you give them zero points? Given that they're already aware, the hundred points I gave was on the low side."

"That's assuming they are aware, sister."

Speaking of his own Class D, Hoshino En sighed, recalling the chaos that had reigned in the class this past month.

"Kushida was worried they couldn't handle the shock, so she only told them about the Behavioral Norms Exam. She left out things like the class division criteria and class competition, hoping Class D could get through this exam smoothly first."

He was clearly covering for Kushida Kikyo. The "Little Angel," who had been bottling up negative emotions all day, finally let out a genuine sigh of relief.

Her reaction happened to catch the eyes of others following Hoshino En's words, who mistook it for a sigh of guilt and remorse, unintentionally boosting her popularity.

"Turns out Class D doesn't have that many idiots—maybe even fewer than Class C, since their risk management and crisis awareness are pretty strong—but they've got plenty of smart-ass fools. A bunch of them act like the classroom cameras don't exist, openly breaking behavioral norms thinking no one notices. Honestly, I've been hopeless for a while now: this class is beyond saving!"

Class D had the most students of the four classes, but they hadn't expected Hoshino En's assessment to be this harsh.

They wanted to argue, but thinking of their class's situation, Hirata and Kushida couldn't even open their mouths. Seeing them silent, the others had nothing to say either.

"Things escalated to the point where Kushida didn't dare reveal everything. No matter how hard she and Hirata, those two pieces of Super Glue, tried, they couldn't patch up Class D, which was leaking from every crack."

Thinking about it, Hoshino En felt drained.

"Next month, I'll have to survive on grass..."

First Semester of First Year:

Chapter 46, Section 043: May I Ask If You're Currently in Need of a Son/Daughter?

Hearing Hoshino En's worry, Totsuka Yahiko instinctively wanted to start mocking him, but Sakayanagi Arisu's voice rang out first.

"You already squeezed nearly four million PPT from the second- and third-year seniors through betting. That's enough to live lavishly until graduation."

Then he couldn't speak anymore, his taunting words stuck like a Fishbone in Throat.

Four million—a number their entire Class A couldn't reach combined.

Aside from Kamuro Masumi, who already knew, and Karuizawa Kei, who had guessed, everyone else was stunned.

Four million PPT, equivalent to four million yen—the average expected annual salary for a working-class person. And even then, after taxes, they usually didn't take home that much. Yet you're saying this guy raked that in within a month? Are you kidding us?

"To be precise, it's 3.92 million, and I've already spent most of it this month feeding the comrade living next door. Next month, I'll have to rely on your charity, Sakayanagi."

Of course, that was a lie. Hoshino En just wanted to create the impression that he was broke, so Class D wouldn't set their sights on him.

"The comrade next door? Who is it?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze sharpened suddenly.

She had only meant to expose a bit of Hoshino En's background, casually revealing his fighting prowess so that Class C's Dragon Boy and his lackeys wouldn't resort to dirty tricks against him... She hadn't expected an unexpected bonus.

Hoshino-kun was secretly cooking with the boy living next door every day, and she had no idea about it. What kind of intelligence work was Kamuro doing?

With that thought, she shot Kamuro Masumi a fierce glare.

Kamuro Masumi: "..."

Sakayanagi, I fucking #$%^&#$%^&...

"It's Kiyotaka."

What came out of Hoshino En's mouth was a name unexpected yet logical.

"...Ayanokoji-kun? You eat together every night?"

"Yeah. That guy wanted to fit into the class and make some useful—no, reliable friends, but when he tried, he acted like a robot, learning bits here and there, ending up with this Clumsy and Dull image that only attracts buzzing flies. I couldn't stand it, so I give him tips every night. Sometimes we stay up late and grab a bite together."

"And you know, he has no common sense. He used to eat fixed meals, so now he's curious about all kinds of food and wants to try everything. That's why I spend so many points on this."

"Wait... you cook yourself?"

"Mostly me, but sometimes he helps, saying he wants to put his learned knowledge into practice."

That wasn't a lie, though Kiyotaka in an apron was pretty funny—a kind of adorable contrast.

Sakayanagi Arisu fell silent.

Why? For the first time, she had someone she wanted to entrust her life to, and she had finally met the rival she once vowed to defeat. Two joys overlapping, adding more joy... She should have been living a dreamlike happiness. Yet, why... did it turn out like this?!

Sakayanagi Arisu's vision went dark.

"Hoshino-kun..."

At that moment, Ichinose Honami, sitting diagonally across from Hoshino En, also had something to say.

She looked at him, hesitating, speaking halfway—a habit Hoshino En hated most.

As for the second thing he hated... ahem, getting off track.

"What is it, Ichinose? Spit it out?"

Anyway, he turned to Ichinose Honami and prompted her.

"Well, I just wanted to ask, no offense meant..."

But even when asked, Ichinose Honami had layered several defenses around herself, which was rare for someone as naturally kind and honest as her.

"It's fine, go ahead and ask."

Hoshino En didn't mind, though. Perhaps she'd been shaken by Sakayanagi this afternoon and was finally developing a sense of self-protection.

"Alright, then I'll ask—"

She looked like she'd made a difficult decision before speaking.

"Hoshino-kun, that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka... that's the name, right? Is he a friend of yours from before?"

"No. He and I met when we first enrolled; he happened to sit next to me on the bus."

"Then... it's strange for me to ask this, but why do you look after him so much? Giving him advice, treating him to meals, even cooking for him yourself..."

"You're not actually... ga, ***, are you?"

Huh... what?

Now it was Hoshino En's turn to see stars.

"No, why would you get that misunderstanding, Ichinase!?"

Look into my eyes! Tell me why?

"But who would spend that much money on someone they barely know?"

"How could there not be... You don't think I look after Kiyotaka because I... have my eye on him, do you?"

"...You don't?"

"How could I! I've said it so many times... Why won't you believe me!!!"

A sudden wave of sorrow washed over Hoshino En—that thin, brittle feeling of one's persona and reputation crashing to the ground and shattering into pieces.

Sigh... so cold.

"How should I put this? Ichinase, I'm at an age where I could be a father now, you understand?"