Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

Soon after, the others left the room one after another, leaving only Kikyo Kushida in the room.

"Saiki-kun, what do you think Horikita meant by what she said earlier?"

Kikyo Kushida asked deliberately.

'It's obvious that this is due to Sudo's personality. It's precisely because of Sudo's easily excitable nature that this happened.'

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself, but he simply shook his head.

"not sure."

"is it?"

Kikyo Kushida pursed her lips slightly, her gaze fixed on Kusuo Saiki's face.

[Does Saiki really not know? Saiki's relationship with Horikita Suzune seems rather casual, while Horikita seems to care about Saiki. If one day I were to have a falling out with Horikita Suzune, perhaps Saiki could become an ally on my side.]

Please don't include me in this.

"Never mind then, I'll go ask Sakura-san myself tomorrow! She doesn't seem like she talks much, and she might be scared if there are too many people around!"

"Ah."

Kusuo Saiki nodded, finally ending his conversation with Kikyo Kushida for the day.

'Since Kushida is going to find Sakura on his own initiative, what happens afterward should have nothing to do with me.'

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself.

......

The next day, during the morning break.

As agreed beforehand, Kikyo Kushida took the initiative to find Airi Sakura.

"Sakura-san!"

Kikyo Kushida greeted Airi Sakura very warmly, while the latter looked somewhat surprised and bewildered.

"What, what happened?"

Meanwhile, Horikita Suzune, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and Saiki Kusuo were watching the two of them from a distance around the corner of the corridor.

Why did I have to come along...?

Kusuo Saiki felt somewhat helpless, but there was no other way. This was a request from Suzune Horikita beside him, and it seemed there was no room for refusal.

'

Chapter 54: Sakura Airi, the Inner World of a Socially Anxious Girl

[Kushida... Why did Kushida-kun suddenly come to talk to me...? I... I'm not good at making eye contact when I talk... I don't know how to communicate... Could it be... could it be... that they know I was a witness?]

Not only could Kusuo Saiki hear Airi Sakura's thoughts, but with the added benefit of his X-ray vision, he could also clearly see that Airi Sakura's breathing rate was increasing, as was her heartbeat.

'Sakura's way of communicating with people is even more outrageous than Shiina's.'

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself.

Although Hiyori Shiina also has communication problems, she is still very different from Airi Sakura.

Hiyori Shiina isn't good at communicating with people, but deep down, she longs to meet someone with whom she can share common interests.

However, Sakura Airi herself may have some resistance to communicating with other people.

One is that they are not good at it, and the other is that they are unwilling.

Edward Hall, a cultural anthropologist, further subdivided personal space into four types. One of these spatial domains is called intimate distance. When someone gets close enough to hug you—that is, when you step into the extremely close range of intimate distance—you will naturally feel a strong sense of repulsion. However, if it's a lover or a close friend, this distance won't feel uncomfortable. In Kushida's case, even when she enters extremely close range with someone she's not very close to, it generally doesn't feel repulsive. Rather, it's that she doesn't become aware of the existence of intimate distance...

Looking at the two people in the distance, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji thought to himself.

'Who is this person? And you're actually analyzing this here, aren't you? Quoting famous sayings in your own mind—you're the first person I've ever seen.'

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself.

He originally thought that today's events had nothing to do with him, but Horikita Suzune still 'invited' him to come here, saying it was in case any unexpected situations occurred.

Kusuo Saiki looked at Airi Sakura, who was holding a small camera. Using his telepathic abilities, Kusuo Saiki knew that Airi Sakura seemed to have unintentionally taken some photos earlier.

"Um, I wanted to ask you about Sudo-kun."

Kikyo Kushida asked politely, with a friendly smile on her face.

"I...I don't know, I don't know anything!"

Faced with Kikyo Kushida's question, Airi Sakura seemed to be threatened, retreating repeatedly and avoiding eye contact with Kikyo Kushida.

"It won't take you long, this matter is very important!"

Kikyo Kushida continued, adding that Airi Sakura's reaction also surprised her somewhat.

"I really don't know anything!"

Sakura Airi turned to run away, but she lost her balance and fell to the ground, the camera in her hand also falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

Airi Sakura ignored her physical pain and went to check if her camera was damaged.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, are you okay?"

Kikyo Kushida, who was standing to the side, had not expected things to develop this way.

[She clearly fell down on her own, it has nothing to do with me! Damn it, if other people misunderstand, it'll be a real problem!]

Sakura Airi stared anxiously at her camera, unable to turn it on for a long time.

"Yes, sorry."

"No, it was my own carelessness..."

Sakura Airi left behind just that one sentence, then grabbed her camera and ran away quickly.

I...I don't want anyone else to know my true identity...

“Sakura-san..…”

Kikyo Kushida didn't know whether she should chase after her or not. Before she could react, Airi Sakura had already disappeared without a trace.

"Oh dear, it looks like things are getting complicated."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji spoke slowly, and Suzune Horikita nodded in agreement, but she did not interfere and then left the place.

......

On the other side, in the special teaching building, Sakura Airi was sitting alone on the deserted steps, repeatedly pressing the power button on her camera with some reluctance, but there was still no response.

This is the place where Sudo Ken had the conflict with several people from Class D. Unlike ordinary school buildings, this place is only used by students during laboratory classes, so there are usually not many people here.

Sakura Airi works part-time as an online idol and print model. She often needs to take selfies, but she doesn't want others to know this side of her, so she chooses this place where no one would normally come.

She never imagined that she would witness Ken Sudo clashing with the rest of Class D.

"It won't open..."

Sakura Airi looked at the camera in her hand, her eyes filled with disappointment.

My camera is broken...it won't open...what should I do with the photos inside...?

If I had said I was a witness from the beginning... would things have turned out differently...?

But...but...I really can't communicate normally with other people...My camera is broken...Buying a new camera with my current points is too expensive...I have no choice...I have to get it repaired...But that shop assistant...I...I don't want to go to that place...

At this moment, Sakura Airi's eyes seemed to be a little wet, and she was almost about to cry.

"Oh dear, this looks like things are getting a bit complicated."

Meanwhile, not far from Sakura Airi, at the corner of the corridor, Saiki Kusuo stood and heard Sakura Airi's inner thoughts.

'Sakura's communication problems seem to be more serious than I thought.'

Just then, Kusuo Saiki's phone vibrated slightly—but made no sound. Ever since he bumped into Kikyo Kushida that night, Kusuo Saiki had developed the habit of keeping all electronic devices on silent.

He looked down at his phone screen; it was a message from Kikyo Kushida.

Kikyo Kushida: I think I broke Sakura-san's camera... I was thinking of going to the digital store at school with her tomorrow to get it repaired. Do you want to come with me?

Kusuo Saiki: Hmm.

This time, Kusuo Saiki gave a very quick affirmative answer.

Chapter 55: There's a pervert at school?

The next morning, there were no classes, so Kusuo Saiki met with Kikyo Kushida early.

Although she said she was accompanying Sakura Airi to rest her camera, Kushida Kikyo arranged to meet Saiki Kusuo beforehand.

Good morning, Qi Mu!

Kikyo Kushida greeted Kusuo Saiki very warmly, and the latter responded politely.

"By the way, Qi Mu! I discovered something yesterday..."

As Kikyo Kushida spoke, she handed her phone to Kusuo Saiki, on which was displayed a photo of a graceful young woman.

Sakura Airi, or rather, the internet idol 'Shizuku'.

In the photo, Sakura Airi is not wearing glasses, and her beauty is revealed without any concealment. With her hair tied in pigtails, she looks like an energetic girl, completely different from her usual gloomy appearance.

Kikyo Kushida was able to find Airi Sakura's blog, and even Kusuo Saiki had to admit how impressive she was.

"Do you recognize who this is?"

"Who is this?"

Kusuo Saiki knew this person's identity, but he pretended not to.

"Huh? Haven't you heard of the internet idol Shizuku?"

"Sorry, I haven't heard of it."

Kusuo Saiki shook his head. If he said he knew, it might cause some misunderstanding with Kikyo Kushida or others. People who are interested in this kind of online idol are probably like Kanji Ike.

"Really... Never mind then, she's just a very well-known idol online!"

"I see."