Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

"Please don't take yesterday's incident to heart. I was a bit out of line. Let's continue to get along well as classmates from now on!"

Kikyo Kushida said with a smile.

[Strange, why did Kushida suddenly say something like that? It contradicts his actions yesterday. Is he trying to lower our guard? No, Kushida wouldn't use such tactics. After all, he openly declared war on me and Saiki yesterday; there's no point in putting on this act again today.]

Kushida seems like a completely different person. Why would such a change happen overnight? Is it because of Ryuen? That's unlikely...

Did Saiki do something to Kushida?

'Hey, hey, hey, how could you possibly relate this to me?'

Kusuo Saiki felt somewhat helpless.

"However, I must make one thing clear in advance: Yamauchi is still my enemy. If you help Yamauchi, it means you will be at odds with me again—I hope you will not side with Yamauchi from now on."

"Ah."

Kusuo Saiki and Kiyotaka Ayanokouji nodded simultaneously.

'At least it seems the troublesome matter is over for now.'

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself.

......

For the next period of time, Kusuo Saiki enjoyed a relatively peaceful period.

In Class B, Kikyo Kushida did not do anything to hinder Kusuo Shiki and the others—as for Haruki Yamauchi, he spent every day in fear, but his grades seemed to have improved considerably.

Meanwhile, rumors began to spread that Ryuu Yuen-sho had given up his role as leader of Class D.

He stopped taking Ishizaki Daichi and the others with him and became taciturn, not speaking to anyone.

Many people believe that a conflict occurred between Ryuen Sho and Ishizaki Daichi, which ultimately ended in Ishizaki Daichi's victory.

However, no one knows exactly what happened.

One day, Long Yuanxiang received a phone call from someone and left the dormitory building late at night, heading to the school square.

It's very late now, and the weather is very cold, so almost no one is out.

However, over in the square, there were several people who seemed to be waiting for Long Yuanxiang.

"I didn't expect you to suddenly send me a greeting, Sakayanagi."

Ryuen Sho looked at the other person; they were both students from Class A, and the person in the very center was Sakayanagi Arisu.

"After all, there are some questions I need to ask you in person."

Sakayanagi Yusu smiled and said,

“You look badly injured. It doesn’t look like you were beaten; it looks more like you fell.”

"Just assume it was from a fall."

"I heard you fell from your position as the leader of Class D."

"I knew you wanted to confirm this."

"Is that true?"

"If it's true, what do you plan to do?"

Instead, a smile appeared on Long Yuanxiang's face.

Sakayanagi Arisu came here to find Ryuen Sho, her purpose being to confirm one thing—

Was the person who defeated Ryuen Sho the same person, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji?

"Was the person who defeated you Ayanokoji?"

"Ayanokouji?"

A moment of doubt flashed in Long Yuanxiang's eyes.

Chapter 117: Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's father makes his appearance!

[Why did Sakayanagi mention Ayanokouji? He's Horikita's henchman—no, Saiki's henchman, right? While that guy's appearance was indeed a bit of a surprise, there's no doubt that it was Saiki Kusuo who defeated me. It seems even Sakayanagi hasn't realized who the real mastermind behind Class B is.]

Long Yuanxiang pondered, a sly smile appearing on his face.

"Even if you lose to someone, will you hide the fact that you lost, Sakayanagi?"

"Because I won't lose to anyone, I don't know."

Sakayanagi Arisu also said with a smile.

However, she just noticed a hint of doubt in Ryuen Sho's eyes when he heard the name Ayanokouji.

This shows that the person who defeated Ryuen Sho was not Ayanokoji Kiyotaka—at least not on the surface.

[Among Class B, besides Ayanokouji, is there anyone else who could defeat Ryuen in a head-on confrontation?]

Sakayanagi Arisu found it hard to believe. She believed she had a very thorough understanding of Class B's information, and that neither Horikita Suzune nor Hirata Yosuke, apart from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, had such an ability.

She couldn't help but recall her earlier conversation with Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji said that he did not take any action during the previous exam; it was someone else in the class who did it.

At the time, Sakayanagi Arisu didn't quite believe Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's words, but now she's starting to believe them a little more.

"But if I lose—at that point, I might not honestly admit my defeat."

"Haha, because you're incredibly proud."

"Self-respect is very important. Don't you think life is boring without self-respect?"

"A life controlled by self-esteem is far more boring."

Long Yuanxiang smiled and shook his head.

"It's hard to believe that someone who adopted such a tyrannical attitude could fall from a leadership position after being defeated by his subordinates."

Sakayanagi Arisu supported the weight of her small body on her cane.

"If you can't believe it, then what do you think the truth is?"

"I don't know that, which is why I called you out here to find out the truth."

"After facing me face-to-face, did you see the truth?"

"No, but what I can confirm is that the X behind Class B seems to have a different name than I expected."

"You think it's Ayanokouji? It seems you've known Ayanokouji for a long time, but I'm not interested in that. Let me tell you something: this matter has nothing to do with the Ayanokouji you think it is."

"Thank you so much for your suggestion."

Sakayanagi Yusu said with a smile.

"Also, I'm telling you that from now on, I don't plan to do anything at this school anymore."

"Hey, are you kidding me? Are you serious?"

A boy standing next to Sakayanagi Arisu said in utter surprise.

Masayoshi Hashimoto.

"There's no need to doubt him like that. He has a contract with Katsuragi, which guarantees him personal points every month. And the final meeting in Class A is the route determined by the rules. So there's nothing wrong with quitting now."

Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze gradually deepened, as if everything was within his calculations.

"That's how it is. Let me watch your petty squabbles unfold from my vantage point."

Long Yuanxiang waved and then left.

"Sakayanagi, that guy named Ayanokouji hasn't really been making any special moves lately."

Kamuro Masumi, who was traveling with Sakayanagi Arisu, said to her.

“I understand. We’ll find him and defeat him sooner or later—but until then, let’s play around with the C class for a bit.”

......

December is already halfway over, and the second semester is gradually coming to an end.

For Kusuo Saiki, the only thing to look forward to was the winter break. After all, he had heard from Sae Chabashira, who used his telepathic abilities, that there wouldn't be any strange or special exams during the winter break.

However, before that, Christmas was a difficult hurdle for Kusuo Saiki to overcome. He just wanted to spend Christmas peacefully and didn't want any more inexplicable things to happen—and probably nothing strange would happen again.

After all, the troublesome Kikyo Kushida and Sho Ryuen have been dealt with, so there shouldn't be anyone else causing trouble for him.

Fortunately, there's still some time before Christmas, so Kusuo Saiki doesn't need to worry about that for now.

At that moment, Kusuo Saiki arrived at the coffee shop—he was there to keep his appointment.

"Qi Mu!"

Upon seeing Kusuo Saiki's arrival, Hiyori Shiina immediately smiled and waved.

"It's been a long time, Shiina."

Kusuo Saiki greeted the other party.

Although Hiyori Shiina and Kusuo Saiki had a good relationship, they had less contact before due to the previous conflict between Class B and Class D. However, after Ryuen Sho lost his position as the leader of Class D, Hiyori Shiina took the initiative to find Kusuo Saiki.

"long time no see."

Kusuo Saiki sat opposite Hiyori Shiina, and at the same time, the waiter brought coffee and dessert to the two of them—Hiyori Shiina had already calculated how long it would take Kusuo Saiki to get there.

I'm so sorry for suddenly asking you out today.

"It's okay, I don't have anything going on anyway."

Although Kusuo Saiki has little interest in interpersonal relationships, he is still accepting of coming to a coffee shop.

After all, you can also try the new desserts and coffee here.

"I've recently discovered a lot of interesting books in the library! Without further ado... I've brought several; would you like to take a look?"

After finishing speaking, Shiina Hiyori happily prepared to take out the book—but before she did, she stopped, as if remembering something, and looked up.

"Before we begin, Qi Mu, may I ask you a question?"

Even though asking this question might ruin our friendship, I still feel I have to bring it up.

Kusuo Saiki already knew the question Hiyori Shiina wanted to ask, but he still nodded.