Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

It was none other than Ichinose Honami.

"Hello everyone, although I already know most of your names, the school has also given relevant instructions, so I think it would be better to introduce ourselves, since there might be some of us meeting for the first time."

Honami Ichinose voluntarily took on a role similar to that of a host.

"Is it even necessary to introduce yourself now? Besides, I don't think the school is serious. Why not just let the guy who wants to introduce himself do it?"

At that moment, a boy named Koji Machida said this.

He came from Class A, and his behavior carried a hint of arrogance typical of students from Class A. Among the previous comments, he was one of the people who had the most complaints about Kusuo Saiki.

"If you want to do this, Machida-kun, I won't force you. However, there might be a microphone somewhere in this room, and you might lose points for not introducing yourself. That would be your responsibility!"

Honami Ichinose maintained her smile.

"cut....."

Several students in Class A seemed prepared to obey after hearing Ichinose Honami's words.

[Although we need to follow Katsuragi's instructions for now, remain silent, and not share information with other classes, there shouldn't be any problem if it's just a self-introduction.]

'Oh dear, is this the tactic they're using?'

Kusuo Saiki narrowed his eyes slightly. Using his telepathic abilities, he learned of Class A's tactics and remained silent, adopting a defensive posture to get through the exam.

In this way, no matter what happens, their class can avoid having points deducted.

"First of all, it's me. My name is Ichinose Honami. Nice to meet you all!"

Honami Ichinose introduced herself with great enthusiasm, and if there were other people present, they would probably be attracted by this energetic girl in front of them.

[She's such a beautiful girl.]

[She could totally be an idol! She's like a character straight out of an anime!]

[Damn it, I should have picked that seat.]

The second one is Kusuo Saiki.

"My name is Kusuo Saiki. Nice to meet you."

Ichinose is so pretty.

Is there a chance to exchange contact information with him during this exam?

I really want to sit next to him.

'Hey, hey, hey, although I don't like being the center of attention, my self-introduction was completely ignored, wasn't it?'

Qi Mu's self-introduction was even more likely to cause an awkward silence than my own when I enrolled.

The source of these heartfelt words was none other than Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

'You are the least qualified person to say that!'

Soon, everyone took turns introducing themselves. After this part was over, Honami Ichinose continued:

"So, does that complete the school's instructions? The next question is how to proceed with the discussion. If anyone doesn't like me as the moderator, please let me know. I'm prepared to replace you at any time."

Honestly, she's just a little good-looking, what's she pretending for?

[Being a host is such a hassle, let her do it.]

I'm too lazy to get involved in these things anyway.

In stark contrast to the boys' attitudes, Manabe Shiho and a few others were slightly dissatisfied with Ichinose Honami's actions, but they didn't say it outright.

"In that case, I have something I want to ask everyone. From my perspective, this is something I want to ask under the premise that 'no one is a privileged individual.' I want to ask whether you believe that the best solution is for everyone to pass this exam, that is, to pursue outcome one."

Honami Ichinose's attitude was very clear; she hoped to complete the exam in a way that would be satisfactory for everyone.

"Of course."

"Since we've all gone to so much trouble to form a team, it's definitely better to have a win-win situation."

"I personally have a lot of shortcomings, and if possible, I would certainly like to be the result one."

Many people expressed their approval.

However, Kusuo Saiki knew very well that this was not impossible at all.

[Win-win? How is that possible? This concerns class points! If we could find out the identities of the students receiving preferential treatment, it would be an opportunity to further widen the point gap between our class and other classes.]

Kusuo Saiki looked in the direction of the voice and saw a student from Class A named Takuro Morishige.

Not only Kusuo Saiki, but Kiyotaka Ayanokoji also knew this.

The chances of a win-win situation are slim. Anyone could become a traitor for the sake of class points. However, Ichinose's move is quite good. If the other party takes it as an unintentional question, it means that person is not a favored individual. She can both confirm whether everyone has a positive and united attitude and force the favored individual to lie, perhaps finding a flaw in the situation through this opportunity.

Chapter 80: Ayanokouji, you understand now?

"Isn't that a bit too cunning of you to say?"

At this moment, Koji Machida frowned and said to Honami Ichinose,

"If you're not a beneficiary, of course you'd want to expect some benefits from the group's rewards. Besides, generally no one would openly declare that they would betray the group. I think your question is meaningless."

Koji Machida's face seemed to carry a hint of dissatisfaction.

"From an exam perspective, this should be a very appropriate question, right? Besides, Ichinose-san didn't threaten you with an answer. If you don't want to, you can just not answer."

The speaker was another student from Class C, Tetsuya Hamaguchi.

"Then we won't answer. Class A will remain silent the entire time."

Koji Machida said this directly, while the other students in Class A remained silent and unwilling to participate in the discussion.

Soon, everyone present began to discuss which outcome would be most suitable for this exam. Ichinose Honami wanted to achieve a win-win outcome, but the people in Class A did not think so; they simply wanted to implement defensive tactics.

Is this a tactic executed collectively by Class A? It feels like Katsuragi's style, allowing them to maintain the point difference with the classes in the lower positions.

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji thought to himself, while Kusuo Saiki only wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

The discussion in the meeting room quickly reached a dead end, with no one able to make any further progress, and it seemed that the first discussion of the day was going to end like this.

What should we eat later?

Just as Saiki Kusuo was pondering more meaningful questions, a figure appeared next to Karuizawa, who was playing on his phone.

"Excuse me, are you Karuizawa-san? I have something to ask you."

The speaker was Shiho Manabe. Although she used polite language, her tone and expression were very serious.

"what's the matter?"

Karuizawa Kei was taken aback when the other party suddenly mentioned her name. She was stunned for a moment and quickly looked away from her phone screen, landing on Manabe Shiho.

This scene was witnessed by Kiyotaka Ayanokoji.

Karuizawa's behavior seemed somewhat different from usual.

"If I haven't misunderstood...did you have a dispute with Rinka before summer vacation?"

"Pear Blossom? Who's that? What are you talking about?"

A look of confusion appeared on Karuizawa Megumi's face.

"She was a girl in our class who wore glasses and had her hair tied up. Don't you remember her?"

Shiho Manabe frowned.

"I don't remember, I have absolutely no recollection of it."

Karuizawa Kei immediately replied, turning her gaze back to her phone screen.

"Really? We heard it from Rika before. She said she was bullied by a girl named Karuizawa from Class D. She said she was queuing at the coffee shop when you cut in line and even bumped into her."

Upon hearing the other person's words, Karuizawa Megumi's expression changed instantly.

"...What does this have to do with me? What exactly do you want? You seem to have some kind of grudge against me?"

Her voice rose a few decibels, but it sounded like she lacked confidence.

'Yay! Yay!'

Kusuo Saiki could sense that the atmosphere in the room had become extremely tense.

Moreover, he could hear Karuizawa Megumi's thoughts with perfect clarity.

[Was that person named Rika? I deliberately cut in line to maintain my public image... I didn't expect her friend to show up directly... What should I do? What should I do? Wait, this person doesn't seem entirely certain. If I keep pretending not to know and keep denying it, maybe I can get away with it!]

At the same time, some memories she didn't want to recall kept flashing through Karuizawa Kei's mind.

'So it really was you who did it?'

Kusuo Saiki sighed inwardly.

I think a timely apology is the best way to resolve this matter.

Using his telepathic abilities, Kusuo Saiki learned about Megumi Karuizawa's past.

Karuizawa Kei suffered inhumane bullying at school in the past, and some of the bullying even went beyond the scope of bullying and could have endangered her life. This is the source of the scars on Karuizawa Kei's body.

Almost no one was able to detect Karuizawa Kei's past, and Karuizawa Kei herself never told anyone about this side of her.

She likened herself to a parasite, searching for a suitable host to 'survive'. Her deliberate queue-cutting and other difficult behaviors were not due to her bad character, but because she believed that this would deter others from bullying her.

To avoid being bullied, one might bully others. To be honest, Kusuo Saiki doesn't entirely approve of this approach.

Meanwhile, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji was constantly observing Kei Karuizawa's expression.

[Karuizawa's actions clearly indicate she's lying; she definitely had a conflict with Rika before.]

However, judging from her usual behavior in class, she should be in this state right now.

[Whether it's his behavior, his facial expressions, or his tone of voice, something seems off about Karuizawa.]

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka continued to ponder.

[Saiki seemed to have mentioned Karuizawa's name to me intentionally or unintentionally earlier. Could it be that Saiki already knew Karuizawa's secret and wanted me to keep an eye on her?]

'I almost let it slip by accident.'

“It’s nothing, I’m just confirming. If it’s true, I hope you apologize. Rika is the kind of person who will bear everything herself, and we have to do something for her.”

Shiho Manabe said with utmost seriousness.