Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

Meanwhile, Saiki could still hear Hiyori Shiina's thoughts from not far away.

[Who was that girl next to Saiki just now...? I was talking to Saiki the whole time and forgot to greet her... Will I leave a bad impression...?]

"I see."

Sakura Airi nodded, her gaze involuntarily falling on the book in Saiki Kusuo's hand.

So... Saiki-kun actually likes reading?

......

Several hours had passed, and Kusuo Saiki observed the number of fish in his bucket. Although it was probably less than what Kanji Ike had, it was the perfect number for him.

Sakura Airi didn't actually help much; it was mostly Saiki Kusuo who used his superpowers to make the fish jump into the net on their own.

There were many kinds of fish in the river. Saiki Kusuo just picked a few at random and used his superpowers to catch them. Although he didn't know much about fish, since they were on this island, they should all be edible species.

I think I did manage to help Saiki-kun...

Kusuo Saiki could clearly hear Airi Sakura's thoughts, but he didn't say it outright.

After tidying up their tools, Kusuo Saiki and Airi Sakura returned to the camp, and Kanji Ike and the others also returned from fishing.

"You guys went fishing too? Tch, not so great, Qi Mu, your catch is way less than Chi's!"

Looking at the bucket of fish that Kusuo Saiki was carrying, Haruki Yamauchi, who did almost nothing all day, laughed and mocked.

"No no no!"

Upon seeing the fish that Kusuo Saiki brought back, Kanji Ike's expression suddenly underwent a dramatic change.

"?"

A sense of foreboding arose in Kusuo Saiki's heart.

"You actually caught XX fish?! This species is extremely difficult to catch! Not only are the depth and distance from the shore very important, but they are also very picky about the bait, and they are incredibly strong. The fishing gear provided by the school can hardly support them... Qi Mu, you actually caught several of them?! You're amazing, Qi Mu! I never knew you were such a fishing expert!"

For the first time, Kanji Ike looked at Kusuo Saiki with eyes full of admiration.

'? ? ? '

Kusuo Saiki lowered his head and looked at the fish in his bucket, while the fish seemed to be looking at him with an extremely mournful gaze.

He just caught these fish casually using his superpowers and never expected things to turn out this way.

"Really? Saiki is that amazing?"

Hearing what Ike Kanji said, the others also gathered around.

[So... Saiki-kun is actually this good at fishing too? He seemed quite adept at it when he was fishing.]

Sakura Airi, standing to the side, also widened her eyes, her gaze fixed on Saiki Kusuo.

'Damn it, this has made me so conspicuous in class... I never expected things to turn out like this. I definitely can't go fishing tomorrow...'

Kusuo Saiki made up his mind, and at that moment Yosuke Hirata walked over:

"Thanks so much, Qi Mu! I'll be relying on you and Chi to handle the fishing tasks these next few days."

"Long live Saiki!"

"Qi Mu is amazing!"

Surrounded by onlookers, Kusuo Saiki could only stand there dumbfounded, unable to refuse.

......

As evening approached, after enjoying a sumptuous grilled fish dinner together, everyone was free to do their own thing again.

Some people went into their tents to sleep, while others went for a walk around the area. Although it wasn't very dark yet because it was summer, most people only stayed in the vicinity.

Kanji Ike asked Kusuo Saiki questions about fishing techniques for over twenty minutes, and even though Saiki kept saying he was just lucky, Kanji Ike didn't believe him at all.

After twenty minutes of persistent pleading, Kusuo Saiki finally managed to get rid of Kanji Ike. Just when he thought he finally had a chance to rest, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji came to Kusuo Saiki's side again.

"I never imagined you were so good at fishing."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji praised Kusuo Saiki with a blank expression.

"It was just good luck."

Kusuo Saiki replied somewhat helplessly that during the day, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji went out with Suzune Horikita to investigate the situation of other classes.

"Saiki, what do you think of Ibuki's appearance?"

However, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji suddenly changed the subject and looked at Ibuki.

Kusuo Saiki turned his attention to Mio Ibuki, who had recently become a little closer to some of the girls in the class.

I haven't been able to glean any information about the leader of Class C during this period, and I can't ask directly, as that would make me seem too calculating.

Kusuo Saiki could clearly hear Mio Ibuki's inner thoughts.

'Ibuki is actually a spy sent by Class D, but I can't say that directly, since she's still useful to me.'

As Kusuo Saiki thought this, he prepared to pretend he knew nothing and answer the other party.

But just as he was about to speak, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji spoke first:

"You've probably already figured it out, right? Ibuki is probably a spy sent by Class D. Today, when I went to investigate other classes, I found that Class B also received a student from Class D. I don't believe there could be such a coincidence, so I think the two of them are most likely spies, and their purpose is to find out the identities of the leaders of other classes."

[The fact that Ibuki Mio was near our classroom earlier was already highly suspicious, and after learning that Class B had experienced the same thing, I became certain of it.]

[Saiki must have already figured this out, but he hasn't made a fuss. Is he using this opportunity to manipulate Ibuki?]

It seems that Saiki's thoughts are almost exactly the same as mine; our thought processes are identical.

'You bastard...'

Kusuo Saiki looked at Kiyotaka Ayanokouji. In a sense, his thoughts were indeed the same as Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's: deliberately leaving a spy around.

However, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji wanted to use spies to achieve better results, while Kusuo Saiki did the exact opposite; he simply wanted to use Mio Ibuki to control the score.

We'll create an opportunity for Ibuki Mio to 'accidentally' discover her true identity, thereby allowing us to control the class's scores...

But now, Kusuo Saiki's plan can be said to have completely failed.

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji directly told him, cheek to cheek, that Ibuki Mio was a spy, and that if he were to be discovered as the leader, he would definitely be suspected!

If Kiyotaka Ayanokoji hadn't come, Kusuo Saiki could have pretended to be stupid, but now, he doesn't even have the chance to pretend anymore.

'Damn it, Ayanokouji, what are you trying to do?'

Kusuo Saiki's mind raced, searching for a solution.

'Is pretending to be stupid the only option? What am I supposed to do...?'

[If it were based on Qi Mu's previous personality, he would probably still pretend to know nothing, but the more he pretends, the more his strength will be revealed.]

'You bastard!'

Kusuo Saiki clenched his fists, and could only slowly speak.

"I do have some doubts about her."

When did you first realize it?

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji continued to inquire.

"Let's start from the beginning..."

Kusuo Saiki wasn't lying; from the very beginning, he had heard what the other person was thinking.

"So that's it. Did they find traces of dirt under Ibuki's fingernails back then?"

'? '

Kusuo Saiki hadn't noticed this at all, but could only nod.

Qi Mu's observation skills are indeed remarkable, no less than mine, and possibly even superior.

[There was dirt under Ibuki's fingernails, and today I went to the mountain to check her location. The soil showed signs of being turned over, and there was a radio hidden inside. I also saw one at Ryuen during the day.]

Even after seeing through the other party's spy identity, Saiki still brought Ibuki back, probably intending to use her as a tool. His way of thinking is very similar to mine.

'...I didn't think that much about it at all...'

Kusuo Saiki didn't know how to respond.

[As expected, Qi Mu and I are the same kind of people.]

Sorry, I have superpowers, unlike you.

After a few seconds of silence, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji spoke thoughtfully:

"Qi Mu, would you choose to move up to Class A or have a peaceful high school life?"

"Of course it's the latter."

Without hesitation, Kusuo Saiki immediately gave his answer.

"Getting promoted to Class A is too attention-grabbing; I just want to live a peaceful life."

"It seems we have a lot in common."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji nodded to Kusuo Saiki.

Since I could sense that Qi Mu was concealing his strength, he must have also discovered what I was hiding. He's not a White House experiment subject, but given how similar he is to me, perhaps he also came from another experimental site similar to the White House.

"Although I do know, please, please don't tell me. I don't want to get involved in any trouble, and I come from an ordinary family, so please don't fabricate any background information about me."

"Although I have no interest in moving up to Class A, I have to do it for some special reasons."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji said this, and in front of Kusuo Saiki, he did not deliberately hide his identity as he had before.

"Um....."

Kusuo Saiki could only nod.

"So I hope to get a higher score in this exam. If needed, I can help you. You don't investigate my past, and I won't investigate anything related to you."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji walked up to Kusuo Saiki and extended his hand.

"Qi Mu, let's work together."

Chapter 71: A Bloodbath Caused by a Pair of Underwear