Classroom of the Elite: I Can Issue Tasks to My Masters

"Don't make me laugh."

Though she was only pretending to be a gyaru, Karuizawa Kei had still put plenty of effort into studying how to act like one.

Her forceful words visibly rattled a few students with guilty consciences.

[Private Points have been deposited into your account]

"Everyone, please listen to me."

Though she was already cursing inwardly, Kikyo Kushida knew she still had to stand up and say something.

"I believe Nangong wouldn't do anything without a reason. If he needs Points, I'm sure it's to help the class, perhaps by trading information or proposing cooperation with other classes."

"We can't expect Nangong to cover the Points needed for things like that all by himself, can we?"

With the good of the class brought up, the other students were too embarrassed to keep talking about splitting the money.

Getting them to pay was still another matter.

Some of them no longer had 50,000 Points to spare.

"If anyone's only a few thousand short, we can pool some together. And if that's still not enough... Nangong, could you let them write you an IOU and pay you next month?"

Yosuke Hirata was the last to stand.

Playing the reliable nice guy as always, he offered a suggestion both sides could more or less accept.

"Sure. I don't mind."

Nangong Cheng had no objection, of course.

He had already felt uneasy taking money from Class D's students. He had meant to use this chance to cut off a few of them, like Kanji Ike and Haruki Yamauchi.

What he hadn't expected was for Horikita Suzune and the others to coordinate with him without receiving a task.

Now he was the one backed into a corner.

Whatever. No point turning down free Points. They'd only waste them.

This is called sensible resource allocation!

Only about half the students could still hand over 50,000 Points, and that was after Hirata stepped in to help make it happen.

Nangong Cheng even checked that Ayanokoji had paid. What, was he really paying protection money?

Come on, Ayanokoji. You're scaring me~

"Fine. Since things have come to this, I'll remind you one more time—do your best to be good students before next month. Even if you're just putting on an act. Got it?"

"How many Points you get next month depends on it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, Nangong Cheng stepped down from the podium.

But the moment he sat down, his phone rang again.

I'm going to get PTSD at this rate!

How the hell did I forget to turn off transfer notifications?

It's all that inherently evil Ryuuen's fault!

Grumbling, Nangong Cheng opened his phone and saw a message from Horikita Suzune.

[Was this part of your plan too?]

Calling it a plan would be a stretch.

He just hadn't wanted Class D to stumble blindly through its first month. A more harmonious class atmosphere would benefit him too.

He had no interest in playing caretaker and attending to every little thing, but he didn't mind giving them a quick warning.

[Did you learn anything?]

[Don't go copying me without saying a word.]

After replying, Nangong Cheng started making transfers.

That was right—transfers.

He returned the 50,000 Points from Sakura Airi, Karuizawa Kei, and Wang Meiyu. They were his current and prospective little cash cows, after all. He had to look after their physical and mental well-being.

Huh? What about Kikyo Kushida?

She wasn't under enough pressure yet. He would hold on to her money for now and bring it out when it was time for a handprint, just for the effect.

As for Horikita Suzune...

He could return hers, or he could keep it.

If Horikita Suzune hadn't stepped forward and steered the conversation, he might not have gotten that money out of Class D's rich, gullible students at all.

He would still give her a hard time, but he wasn't unreasonable.

Merit deserved a reward, and wrongdoing deserved punishment.

So Nangong Cheng sent the Points back and left a message.

[Keep it. I don't need your money.]

For the other three, he used the same line.

[We're on the same side. I'm not charging you.]

Once the transfers were done, Nangong Cheng began to think.

Including this windfall, he had nearly seven million Points on hand. With another push, he might reach the halfway mark in his first month.

But in the interest of sustainability, there wasn't much left to squeeze out of the first-years.

Mostly, he couldn't quite bring himself to bleed them dry.

His next target was naturally the second-years—or, more precisely, Miyabi Nagumo of Class 2-A.

That loaded bastard was getting fleeced.

His phone vibrated again.

It was another reply from Horikita Suzune, but this one made Nangong Cheng's lips curl into a smile.

[My brother wants to see you.]

Third update today. Please keep reading!

The Soulful Way to Drink Milk Tea Is to Rest It Against Your Chest

[I can help you deal with Miyabi Nagumo]—that was the message Nangong Cheng had asked Horikita Suzune to pass on to Horikita Manabu yesterday.

Just as he had expected, Horikita Manabu had asked her to arrange a meeting with him at the Student Council.

It looked like he would have to stand Sakura Airi up again today.

He would send her a task later to make up for it.

Lunchtime arrived.

Nangong Cheng had no plans to go to the cafeteria today.

Here was one reason:

[Sakayanagi Arisu (note: little brat): That was quite a clever move, Nangong.]

[Ichinose Honami (note: Mom): You really do have a mischievous streak, Nangong...]

[Ryuuen (note: ATM): Kid, you've got nerve. Just you wait.]

It wasn't that he was afraid those three would come looking for payback. He just thought dealing with them would be a hassle.

Better to avoid the trouble.

The second reason was to make up for standing someone up.

Of course, Nangong Cheng also thought eating with a soft, sweet girl would be much nicer than eating alone.

He had even stopped by the Department Store on his way in that morning to buy a few boxed lunches. Everything was going according to plan.

"Sakura, what are you doing for lunch?"

Nangong Cheng chose Sakura Airi first as his lunch companion. His little deskmate was gentle and easy to coax.

Karuizawa Kei and Horikita Suzune were options too, but he had other ideas and arrangements for their tasks.

"I... I bought some bread from the Convenience Store earlier... Do you want some, Nangong?"

Like a student called on by the teacher, Sakura Airi furtively reached into her desk and took out a bag of Pineapple Bread.

Nangong Cheng sighed.

How foolish of me. Why did I bother going to the extra trouble?

He reached into his desk and exchanged Points in the Shop for food and a lunch box, then made it look as though he had taken them from the bag he carried.

At the same time, he issued Sakura Airi a task in his mind.

"Sakura, this sort of thing is fine in a pinch, but you'll miss out on nutrients if you eat it every day."

"Come on. Lunch is on me today."

[Task issued: Accept Nangong Cheng's lunch invitation]

[Task reward: 100 Points]

[Penalty for failure: Become Nangong Cheng's lunch]

Eek!!!

Sakura Airi jumped to her feet in a panic, then followed Nangong Cheng out of the classroom.

It looked remarkably like the start of a bullying incident.

The Rooftop.

It was a place with a certain reputation.

It was also where another Cheng had once done battle.

Of course, that Cheng wasn't Nangong Cheng.

Even across two lifetimes, Nangong Cheng was still an innocent young cook. And given his tastes, he would never choose an outdoor setting unless the circumstances were exceptional.

"Have a seat, Sakura."

"Okay..."

Naturally, there was a bench on the Rooftop.

Don't ask why. The plot needed one.

Sakura Airi carefully sat at one end of the bench, while Nangong Cheng took the middle.

He took out one of the boxed lunches he had bought at the Department Store that morning and looked at Sakura Airi, who was still keeping her head down like an ostrich.

"Is there anything you prefer to eat, Sakura?"

"I... I'm not picky... Curry Rice, Udon, anything like that is fine."

Sakura Airi didn't know why Nangong Cheng had brought her to the Rooftop after offering to buy her lunch. Even she knew rooftops were often used for bullying.

Could Nangong be...

"I see... I bought this boxed lunch this morning. See if it's to your taste."

"We're still growing. You won't get much nutrition if you keep eating convenience food, so you need to break that habit."

Nangong Cheng had no idea what was running through Sakura Airi's head.

People said a woman's heart was as deep as the sea. If that woman also had social anxiety, no ordinary person could hope to guess how her mind worked.

He could always exchange Points in the Shop for skills like Microexpression Psychology and Body Language Psychology later, though.

"Okay!"