Saiki Kusuo's Classroom of the Elite

"Saiki... Saiki?"

Upon hearing Horikita Manabu mention Saiki's name, Tachibana Akane was visibly surprised.

[Horikita-kun has always wanted to bring this first-year student, Saiki, into the student council. I never understood why before, but it seems Horikita truly recognized Saiki's hidden talent.]

Tachibana Akane now realized that she had severely underestimated Saiki.

Meanwhile, Horikita Manabu couldn't help but marvel at Saiki's abilities.

[Saiki not only has information about the third-years but even predicted Nagumo's betrayal... His talent is likely far beyond mine.]

'Yare yare, is this how things are going to turn out?'

Saiki, who was still invisible, sighed. Despite his efforts to keep a low profile at school, it seemed his presence was becoming more prominent instead.

But there was nothing he could do about it. In a way, this actually made it easier for Saiki to hide his identity as a psychic. It was a small silver lining in an otherwise unfortunate situation.

'The issue should be resolved now.'

Saiki thought to himself, then left the scene.

Nagumo Miyabi's initial goal was to make Horikita Manabu believe this was just a competition affecting both sides, thereby overlooking his behind-the-scenes schemes—Nagumo planned to use the collateral mechanism to expel Tachibana Akane.

However, now that Horikita Manabu was aware of Nagumo's plan, it was unlikely to succeed.

'The exam is in a few days. Finally, I'll be able to leave this place.'

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the school building.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka leaned against a wall, his expression blank as he looked at the girl with a cane standing before him.

Sakayanagi Arisu.

"I'm planning to target Class C and Ichinose. It should be quite interesting."

Sakayanagi Arisu said with a smile.

"Oh."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka responded indifferently.

But after a few seconds of silence, Ayanokoji seemed to remember something and continued:

"By the way, Sakayanagi, have you heard any rumors about Ichinose?"

"You mean..."

"The rumor about Ichinose holding a large amount of personal points."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.

He had overheard this rumor by chance, as Ichinose Honami hadn't made any effort to hide it.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka believed this could be something he could exploit.

[Saiki has already turned many people into his tools, and now I need to cultivate my own tools as well. Horikita is barely one, but her brother seems to be getting close to Saiki. If a conflict breaks out, Saiki might use this to make Horikita work for him, so Horikita isn't a completely reliable pawn.]

[I need to create more pawns, and Ichinose might be the most suitable candidate.]

[However, I haven't had much interaction with Ichinose. I need to create an opportunity to get closer to her and gain her trust—first, destroy her, then rebuild her.]

This was precisely why Ayanokoji Kiyotaka chose to meet with Sakayanagi Arisu at this moment.

"Class C is indeed a very united class, largely because Ichinose has always done her best to earn her classmates' trust. But I wonder—what would happen if they trusted her too much?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.

"This topic seems somewhat aligned with my thoughts. Go on."

Sakayanagi Arisu was clearly interested in what Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had to say.

"The rumor I mentioned is related to this. She holds a large amount of points, yet she hasn't made any significant contributions in the special exams. To be honest, I'm quite surprised. But is it normal to earn that many points? She might be acting as the class's treasurer."

"Who knows? Only Ichinose herself or her classmates would know about that. Why are you telling me this? Are you trying to guide my actions?"

Sakayanagi Arisu asked with a smile.

"What I'm saying is... is it really a good idea to entrust personal points to her? For example, if she were to use those points to protect herself in a dire situation or to help her classmates, no one would blame her. After all, that's what a treasurer is for."

"That's true."

"But... if she were to use those massive points for her own enjoyment, that could be considered fraud. The school might take action. While no one seems to suspect her now, once the first person starts doubting her, more and more people will likely follow."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly.

"I just mentioned targeting Class C and Ichinose, and now you bring this up? Are you trying to guide my actions?"

Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze fell on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.

"I'm just sharing my thoughts."

After saying this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka paused for a moment, then continued,

"You said you wanted to destroy me, right?"

"Indeed, the false genius."

"In that case, prove to me that you can do it."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka tilted his chin slightly—the sun had set, and the corner of the wall blocked the light, casting a shadow over his face.

"After all, I currently believe there's only one person who has a chance to compete with me."

"Is it that so-called X from your class again? Are you sure you're not X? It's just the two of us here, and I'm well aware that I won't reveal anything about you."

"That's true."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded.

[Sakayanagi knows about my past but hasn't revealed it. It seems she has no intention of exposing me.]

"I am X."

"So you finally admit it?"

"But I'm only half... no, one-third of X."

"What do you mean?"

"I have indeed acted as X, but only partially. The real X is someone else, and I've been acting according to their instructions."

Sakayanagi Arisu didn't speak, simply watching him silently.

[Could it be that what Ayanokoji said earlier is true?]

"That's all I have to say. What you do with this information is up to you."

After saying this, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka left.

...

Soon, a few more days passed.

Among the girls, a strange rumor began to spread.

"Ichinose Honami from Class C illegally holds a large amount of points and uses them for personal enjoyment."

This rumor initially circulated among the first-year classes but quickly spread to the upperclassmen as well.

"Have you heard? Ichinose from Class C is illegally holding a huge amount of points."

"Really? She doesn't seem like that kind of person. Maybe she's just managing the class's personal points?"

"That's possible, but seeing such a large amount of points would make anyone tempted!"

People were buzzing about the rumors surrounding Ichinose Honami, and even within Class C, there seemed to be some negative whispers.

At this point, there was only one day left before the exam.

Everyone was enjoying their last dinner before the exam in the cafeteria.

Saiki was carrying his tray, looking for a seat, when he noticed Ichinose Honami sitting alone in a corner, looking exhausted.

Saiki glanced around. Ichinose Honami didn't seem to notice him, and there were no empty seats nearby. The only available seats were on the other side of the cafeteria.

'I'll sit over there.'

Just as Saiki was about to walk past Ichinose Honami, she suddenly noticed him and turned to say:

"Saiki-kun, there's no one else here. You can sit with me."

Ichinose Honami, seeing Saiki looking for a seat, spoke up.

"Alright."

Saiki had no other choice and sat down next to Ichinose Honami.

He noticed that Ichinose Honami looked listless, with dark circles under her eyes, a stark contrast to her usual self.

[Why are these strange rumors spreading recently...]

[First, there were rumors about me and President Nagumo... After all, I just joined the student council and have worked with President Nagumo a few times... He's certainly a talented person, but something feels off... It's an uncomfortable feeling.]

[And then there's the issue with the class points... I was elected as the class treasurer by everyone... But these rumors are spreading in such strange places... The exam is coming up, and our group's condition isn't great either...]

Thinking this, Ichinose Honami let out a heavy sigh.

"You look tired, Ichinose."

Saiki said slowly.

He had, of course, noticed the recent rumors. Combined with what he had gleaned from Sakayanagi Arisu's thoughts, it was clear that Sakayanagi was behind this.

"The exam is finally tomorrow, Saiki-kun. What do you think about it?"

"That's a rather broad question."

Saiki replied.

"I want to hear your personal thoughts."

"If I had to say, it's different from the exams so far. It might be a bit harsh, and the risk of expulsion seems high. Ever since the last special exam, whether you get expelled doesn't just depend on yourself anymore."

Saiki gave a somewhat vague answer.

"Yeah... but it's only natural for the difficulty to increase by the third semester, right?"

"I suppose."

"Speaking of risks, there's the leader system, right? Becoming the group leader."

"Yes."

"While being the leader is a huge risk... it's also important to take on that role to win, right? After all, you can earn double the points."

"Even if we talk about the risk of expulsion, it still feels unreal... and hard to grasp. Honestly, there are many things I'm not clear about. But I think the truly scary part isn't the loss of class points or personal points."

Ichinose Honami sighed again.

[The most important thing is losing a companion.]

Saiki heard Ichinose Honami's thoughts but pretended not to notice.

"What do you mean?"

"If one of your classmates were to be expelled, what would you do?"

'I probably wouldn't do anything.'

Saiki instinctively thought of this answer.

But the next second, he did start to think about it.

What would he do if someone around him was at risk of expulsion?

"The teachers said two million points can cancel an expulsion."

"But it's hard for us to gather that many points right now, isn't it?"

"That's true."

Saiki nodded.

"But there must be a way. The best scenario is to avoid the risk altogether."

"Yeah, you're right. But what if it's unavoidable?"

Ichinose Honami continued to ask, but before Saiki could answer, she shook her head.

"Sorry, sorry. I asked some strange questions."

"It's fine."

"Talking to you made me feel a bit better, Saiki-kun, but I still need some time to think... Sorry, I'll head out first."

"Alright, see you."

Soon, Ichinose Honami got up from her seat and left the cafeteria.

At that moment, Karuizawa Kei, also carrying a tray, found Saiki and sat down next to him, glancing in the direction Ichinose Honami had left.

"Kusuo, what were you talking about with Ichinose? She looked really tired."

"She's worried about her group's situation and is concerned that one of her classmates might get expelled."

Saiki replied as he ate.

"Then..."

Karuizawa Kei seemed to think of something, leaning forward slightly and looking at Saiki with great seriousness.

"If one day, I were to be expelled, what would you do, Kusuo?"