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

Sakura Airi had been cautious at first, thinking Nangong Cheng might have made some awful dish to prank her.

But the moment she took her first bite, she could barely control her expression—or her hands.

It's so good!

Nangong had clearly offered her a delicious lunch out of kindness, yet she had assumed the worst and thought he wanted to bully her...

I'm awful!

"Take your time, Sakura. Don't choke... Oh, and have something to drink."

Nangong Cheng watched Sakura Airi's cheeks turn visibly red. His first thought was that she was embarrassed.

Still, alone with him, she was doing much better than she had in the classroom.

For someone with her personality, encouragement and a sense of acceptance mattered a great deal.

Nangong Cheng didn't mind giving Sakura Airi that emotional reassurance. After all, this investment cost him nothing, and eventually it would bring him a warm return from her.

"N-Nangong, would you like to eat with me?"

"I don't have much of an appetite... There's too much in this lunch for me to finish..."

Seeing how considerate Nangong Cheng was being, Sakura Airi felt a little embarrassed.

She was also ashamed of having assumed the worst about him, and instinctively wanted to make it up to Nangong Cheng.

"Together? Sure."

"But Sakura, you don't mind sharing a fork? Or, you know, an indirect kiss?"

Seeing how thoughtful she was, Nangong Cheng had no intention of pretending to refuse. While his words said one thing, his task for her said quite another.

[Task issued: Feed Nangong Cheng by hand, and drink the Milk Tea he provided while holding it against your chest]

[Task reward: 500 Points]

[Penalty for failure: Make Nangong Cheng a lunchbox to be fed mouth-to-mouth]

A mouth-to-mouth lunch?

But I don't even know how to make lunch!

Wait... That's what "mouth-to-mouth" means?

Sakura Airi's already flushed face grew even redder. The system had heard her thoughts and given her a detailed explanation of the penalty.

In the end, she raised a slightly trembling hand and carefully held the drink Nangong Cheng had given her, straw and all, against the chest of her school uniform.

"I d-don't mind..."

"So, N-Nangong, could you p-please sit a little closer?"

She had managed it, but Sakura Airi still felt terribly embarrassed. Her stammer returned as she spoke.

"Sure."

Nangong Cheng obligingly moved closer.

From this close, face-to-face, he saw for the first time that a girl really could hold a drink against her chest while drinking it.

Unfortunately, this was the school-uniform version, and the drink wasn't milk tea. It wasn't quite the same.

"By the way, Sakura, that's an unusual way to drink. I've never seen a girl who could actually..."

Nangong Cheng even gestured to show what he meant.

Blushing furiously, Sakura Airi promptly fed Nangong Cheng the first bite to hide her embarrassment.

"Nangong, please don't tease me..."

"Sorry. That wasn't what I meant."

Nangong Cheng fell silent.

For the rest of their time together, he quietly enjoyed being fed by a beautiful girl and admired her adorable blush.

But the good times were always short.

Classes in Japan ended early in the afternoon, but the trade-off was a much shorter lunch break.

Nangong Cheng rose reluctantly.

"Thank you for the meal today, Sakura."

"I'm looking forward to next time..."

The unmistakable hint in his words reached Sakura Airi. She was secretly delighted, though she couldn't help feeling shy.

[Task complete]

[Task reward: Host received 500 Points]

Looking at the words on the panel before her, she unconsciously touched her lips and murmured so softly that only she could hear.

"I'm... looking forward to it too."

I've Waited Long Enough. I Won't Wait Anymore

After school.

Nangong Cheng had just stood up to apologize to Sakura Airi. He needed to change their plans for the day.

But then he heard someone call his name.

"Nangong..."

He glanced over.

It was the cheerful, outgoing boy.

"Hirata, what's up?"

"It's about what happened this morning... I think we need to talk and decide on a plan for the class as soon as possible."

Nangong Cheng wasn't surprised.

Yosuke Hirata was probably the only person in Class D who cared whether the class fell apart. The good-natured guy worried himself sick over a whole class of problem children.

Without him, the class really might fall apart.

"What do you have in mind, Hirata?"

Nangong Cheng didn't dislike people like him.

Even if Yosuke Hirata's fixation stemmed from past trauma, what mattered was what he did, not why he did it.

But respect was one thing. Nangong Cheng still had no intention of babysitting Class D.

"I wouldn't say I have a plan. The reality is right in front of us... We can either work hard to climb up or give up from the start."

Yosuke Hirata forced a smile as he spoke.

He didn't particularly care whether he graduated from Class A and received the benefits the school guaranteed. What mattered to him was keeping the atmosphere within the class harmonious and stable.

But once the competition got underway, Class D couldn't stay out of it. One wrong move, and they would become casualties.

He was afraid the class would fall apart when that happened.

He wasn't blind, either. These past few days had been enough for him to get a sense of his classmates. Believing they could take on the other classes was a pipe dream.

That was why they needed a reliable leader to step forward and take a stand.

"I see what you mean."

Nangong Cheng looked to his left at Horikita Suzune.

"If you want to give it a try, Hirata, you have my moral support."

"What do you think, Horikita?"

Horikita Suzune remained seated.

She folded her arms and glanced at Nangong Cheng, then answered coolly, "I won't allow myself to give up without doing anything."

"But judging by what happened this morning, Hirata, you'd be better off talking to the students who might drag the class down."

"I don't want to put in work for the class only to find one of my supposed teammates stabbing me in the back."

Yosuke Hirata smiled awkwardly.

He was about to offer a diplomatic reply when Kikyo Kushida, who had been watching for a while, came over.

"I'm sure no one would do that!"

"And if it does happen, Hirata and I will talk it through with them. So please don't say things that hurt class unity anymore, Horikita... okay?"

You're pulling the old "think of the group" routine too?

Nangong Cheng gave Kikyo Kushida a surprised look. She seemed to be taking her role a little too seriously.

What, are you going to start singing "Haruhikage" too?

"I'm just stating the facts."

Horikita Suzune wasn't the most tactful person, but she could hear the accusation beneath Kushida's words.

She promptly fired one back.

"The publicly available information explains how this school assigns students to classes. But from what I've seen these past few days, Kushida, you don't act like a Class D student."

"So I've been wondering whether this persona of yours might be an act."

Whoa, Horikita nailed it.

Nangong Cheng raised an eyebrow.

Kikyo Kushida had to be furious. She had come dangerously close to revealing her true self on the spot.

"Um... If I've done something to upset you, Horikita, I'm sorry. Could you please stop saying such mean things?"

"I just want everyone to enjoy their three years at this school..."

The more pitiful Kikyo Kushida looked on the outside, the more furiously she cursed on the inside.

I made one pointed remark, and you're going to flip the whole table, Horikita Suzune?!

Are we playing or not?!

I'm asking you—are we playing or not?!

"Horikita, please go easy on her."

"Kushida is thinking of the class too. We're all in this together..."

Yosuke Hirata could hear the hostility in Horikita Suzune's words. He immediately stepped in to make peace.

He was probably uneasy himself, though, given that he had once caused a serious bullying incident.

Nangong Cheng smacked his lips, disappointed.

He'd thought he might get to hear a little story about someone's troubled home life.

Still, Horikita Suzune's attack had probably sent Kikyo Kushida's negative emotions through the roof. It likely wouldn't be long before her memorable special scene was triggered.

He could hardly wait.

He had already thought of how to design the task.

"Because we're all in this together, I think Horikita has a point."

Just then.

Karuizawa Kei entered the fray.

She came over with her small group and jumped straight in.

"Everyone knows what Class D is like by now, so let's not kid ourselves. If someone starts causing trouble and dragging the class down, are we supposed to keep coddling them?"

"Once or twice is one thing. Everyone makes mistakes. But what if they keep doing it no matter how often we talk to them?"

Yosuke Hirata opened his mouth, then shook his head with a rueful smile.

Horikita Suzune gave Karuizawa Kei a surprised look. She hadn't expected Kei to speak up for her, and an unusual idea suddenly occurred to her.

"It's too early to discuss that."