Chapter 47

"But while I'll spare your lives, you won't get off scot-free."

Nangong Cheng watched Ichinose Honami and Amikura Mako, who looked as though they were playing Red Light, Green Light, and gave them an amused smile.

"Since you think I bully Ichinose Mom every day, Amikura, you can come over with her every day to supervise me."

"You can help Ichinose Mom with the housework while you're at it. I'm sure you won't object?"

Amikura Mako had been quite nervous, but hearing that put her at ease.

"Sure, it's a deal!"

"Honami, I'll come with you from now on. We can even eat together~"

You silly girl...

Ichinose Honami sighed inwardly.

From what she had learned so far, any girl who had anything to do with Nangong Cheng would probably end up hopelessly entangled with him...

It's rude to think this, but... I can only hope Nangong isn't interested in Mako.

"Nangong, sorry for the trouble... I'll go cook now."

"Me too, me too!"

The sight of Nangong Cheng scared Amikura Mako a little now, so she hurried after Ichinose Honami into the kitchen.

Nangong Cheng shook his head with a smile, then summoned his panel to check yesterday's gains.

[Host: Nangong Cheng]

[Core ability: Master's Task (Lv.4)]

[Subsidiary abilities: Intermediate acting mastery, Kato Taka's Hand, gene enhancement (second stage)]

[Experience: 120/400]

[Current number of available task targets: 7 (Horikita Suzune, Kikyo Kushida, Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, Shiina Hiyori, Ichinose Honami, Sakayanagi Arisu)]

[Current available task issuances: 1/9 (Resets daily at midnight; uncompleted tasks do not count toward the limit)]

[Currently available task types: One-time task, daily task]

[Items held: People-Finding Cane, Mosquito-Fly Camera x1]

When his task issuances reset at midnight, Nangong Cheng had sent a daily task to Karuizawa Kei, who was engrossed in mining.

After all, letting McDonald's special properties go to waste would be a shame. He might as well use the opportunity to cultivate her interest in that area first.

Also, ever since he had removed himself from the task descriptions, he had been earning mission points much less efficiently.

The upside was that he was safer.

Of course, this was only a temporary tactical adjustment.

Once everyone's affection for him reached a certain level, there would be plenty of suitable opportunities to issue tasks that benefited him and rake in points by the handful.

There was no need to rush.

The bread would come, the milk would come—everything would come in time.

"Nangong, your smile looks just like that evil little mage from some game..."

"Shut up and eat."

"Oh..."

After breakfast.

Nangong Cheng arrived at the classroom.

Yosuke Hirata approached him immediately.

"Nangong, about the tutoring sessions you mentioned organizing yesterday..."

"You can't do it?"

Yosuke Hirata shook his head.

His grades weren't top-tier, but he was perfectly capable of tutoring others. It was just that—

"I can't handle everyone on my own."

"Koenji has no intention of helping. Yukimura is willing, but the two of us still aren't enough."

"So..."

Nangong Cheng waved him off.

Don't ask him. He was a poor student right now, too.

However, he could get himself up to speed at any time. He could even use it as an excuse to issue a task forcing Horikita Suzune to spend several hours with him every day.

Ultimately, this problem was easy to solve.

"There are twenty boys in total, so split them into... three groups. Excluding Koenji and me, that makes exactly five students per group."

"You, Yukimura, and Ayanokoji will handle the tutoring."

Yosuke Hirata nodded, but asked in confusion, "Ayanokoji? I remember his grades being very... average."

Nangong Cheng signaled for him not to ask any more questions.

Show-offs like that just loved playing weak to catch people off guard.

"Just handle your own tutoring duties. I'll arrange everything."

"Oh, and put Haruki Yamauchi, Kanji Ike, Ken Sudō, Hideo Sotomura, and Miyake Akito in one group. Arrange the others however you like."

"...All right."

After sending Yosuke Hirata off, Nangong Cheng walked over to his seat. Instead of sitting down, he looked at Horikita Suzune.

"Horikita, switch seats with me."

"Sit in my seat from now on, and give Airi some extra help with her studies while you're at it."

"..."

Horikita Suzune said nothing, but immediately got up and switched seats with Nangong Cheng.

She had barely sat down when she heard Nangong Cheng strike up a conversation with Ayanokoji.

"Ayanokoji, let's make a deal."

"Help tutor the people I just assigned to your group, and in return, you can ask me for a favor later."

"What do you say?"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji's expression barely changed. He simply looked at Nangong Cheng with his usual blank face and voiced his concern.

"My grades..."

"You're being too obvious about controlling your scores."

Nangong Cheng interrupted him with a smile. "Fifty points in every subject isn't something an ordinary student can manage."

"I don't know why you're deliberately controlling your scores, Ayanokoji, but if you're trying to look average, be more careful next time."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Understood."

Nangong Cheng smiled, ending the conversation there.

Since Kiyotaka Ayanokoji had stated from the start that he wanted to learn how to become a normal, ordinary person, enjoy a life of freedom, and understand what "equality" meant, Nangong Cheng's current influence on Class D had already brought him halfway toward that goal.

Then there were all the reasons and circumstances behind his escape from the White Room and acceptance into this school.

He had no reason to refuse this deal.

As for what he thought of Nangong Cheng...

Once Nangong Cheng redeemed his third Gene-Enhancement Potion, or even [Advanced Combat], he might have to get on his knees and beg Ayanokoji not to die.

Fine wine for friends, a shotgun for wolves—from now on, it was that simple.

Horikita Suzune had been listening the whole time. The moment their conversation ended, she delivered her scathing verdict. "I never thought you'd actually bother talking to a man."

"...Wait, what exactly do you think I am? A sex-starved fiend?"

Nangong Cheng tried to defend himself.

Sure, he lusted after those pretty girls' bodies, but at least he acted like a decent human being, unlike a certain someone who stopped caring the moment he pulled out...

Besides, given the plot and setting of Classroom of the Elite, what else was he supposed to do if he didn't flirt with pretty girls? Fight Ayanokoji barehanded? Discuss aesthetics with Koenji?

Nangong Cheng wanted to move forward and seize opportunities, not find himself surrounded by men.

"Before you sent that little video, I might have thought you were just someone with an eccentric personality. But afterward..."

Horikita Suzune kept her eyes on the book in her hands, but that didn't stop her from multitasking and chatting.

"I understand."

"It's not your fault. You simply made the same mistake every man makes."

There will be another update a little after seven tonight, and updates will stay in the evenings from then on.

Volume One: Best Friends for Life

Nangong Cheng had nothing to say.

After all, factually speaking, she was right.

Of course, don't think you're getting off the hook either, Horikita Suzune. I'm still waiting to see you lying together with Kikyo Kushida.

"But will your grades be all right?"

"Why? Are you offering to tutor me?"

Nangong Cheng teased her.

All along, he had planned to buy a set of answers from an upperclassman and memorize them to get through the exam, boosting his prestige in Class D along the way.

But if Horikita Suzune was going to take the initiative, he wouldn't refuse.

"I never said that."

"Then I know what you're trying to say."

"..."

Seeing that Horikita Suzune was ignoring him again, Nangong Cheng didn't get upset. Instead, he assigned Sakura Airi another daily task.

[Task issued: Spend at least two hours every day studying independently or receiving tutoring from Horikita Suzune]

[Task reward: 100 points/day]

[Penalty for failure: Run ten laps around the sports field]

After all, the girl's grades really were far from satisfactory.

The school was only using old exam questions for this particular midterm as a little test. There wouldn't be such an easy shortcut next time.

That was why they needed to put tutoring on the agenda as soon as possible.

With that, almost everything was in place, and he had made full plans for his entire Lv.4 task allotment.

Nangong Cheng looked up at the sky outside the window and thought—

April should be coming to an end by now.

Time moved on to the final week of April.

Monday, early morning.

After opening the door for Ichinose Honami and Amikura Mako, Nangong Cheng sat straight down at the dining table and studied his panel in thought.

[Host: Nangong Cheng]

[Core ability: Master's Task (Lv.6)]