Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

"Hey?"

Soon, only Karuizawa Kei was left standing there, somewhat bewildered.

......

Kusuo Saiki returned to the corridor and immediately saw Kiyotaka Ayanokouji leaning against the wall, waiting for him to arrive.

"Qi Mu, I have done what you wanted to do for you."

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji said to Kusuo Saiki with a blank expression.

"Ah."

Kusuo Saiki nodded expressionlessly, but his inner thoughts were completely different.

'Huh? What do I want to do?! What are you even talking about?'

[Saiki mentioned Karuizawa Megumi's name earlier, probably to draw my attention to a side of her that I didn't know about.]

That timidity was impossible to hide. Karuizawa Megumi likely experienced severe bullying in school before, and her current status and image in the class were simply a facade.

[Saiki realized this even earlier than I did, deliberately mentioning Karuizawa's name in front of me, implying that Karuizawa could be used. So I orchestrated this situation to make Karuizawa realize that Saiki was the host she could rely on. I also took this opportunity to secretly film Manabe and the others threatening Karuizawa, which I might use as a weapon to threaten Class D. With this recording, Manabe will also become my tool.]

'？？？？？？'

At this moment, Saiki Kusuo's little head was full of big question marks, and he never expected things to turn out this way.

He usually acts alone and has little contact with Kiyotaka Ayanokouji. They only meet during meetings, so Kusuo Saiki doesn't know what Kiyotaka Ayanokouji usually does.

[To set up this scene, I deliberately added fuel to the fire of the conflict between Karuizawa and the girls in Class D.]

So it turns out... you were the one who did all this?

Kusuo Saiki's gaze was fixed on Kiyotaka Ayanokouji. He had been wondering why Shiho Manabe had become increasingly hostile towards Megumi Karuizawa these past few days, and this explanation made sense.

'However...in a sense, did I indirectly cause all of this to happen...?'

Kusuo Saiki seemed to realize something.

He had unintentionally mentioned Karuizawa Megumi's name to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, and it turned out that the other person had taken it to heart...

It feels like a lot of trouble has arisen without us even realizing it...

The person in front of him was the biggest troublemaker.

"By the way, Saiki, what kind of person do you think Chabashira-sensei is?"

At that moment, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji spoke up and asked a question.

[Chabashira claims to have made contact with that man, but I cannot verify this at the moment. If it's Saiki, perhaps he would know something about it, and we could use Saiki to gather information.]

'So that's what you wanted to ask about... Wait, it seems Ayanokouji acted in class because of Chabashira-sensei's lie. If he knew the truth, he probably wouldn't have done anything else, right?'

Kusuo Saiki longed for this so much in his heart.

Chapter 83: Saiki, I've liked you for a long time!

After thinking for less than a second, Kusuo Saiki made up his mind about his answer.

He desperately wanted to tell the truth directly, to tell Ayanokouji Kiyotaka that what Chabashira Sae said was all a lie. That way, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka would probably not have any intention of continuing to advance to Class A, and the trouble he would cause would be reduced.

However, although Kiyotaka Ayanokouji showed some of his abilities, he did not reveal all his secrets, so Kusuo Saiki could only say some ambiguous things.

"Tea Pillar is a person who likes to bluff. On the surface, she doesn't seem to care about Class A, but in reality, she probably has a very strong desire for it. She is probably the kind of person who will stop at nothing to achieve this goal, and she might even fabricate a series of lies for it."

"A bluff?"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji narrowed his eyes slightly.

[Saiki is skilled at analyzing other people's psychological activities, and Chabashira-sensei is definitely that kind of person. As it stands, the information she's providing me is very likely a lie she's fabricated to gain my help.]

'That's right, exactly.'

Kusuo Saiki answered in his heart.

However, this is only a possibility; the truth is uncertain. Taking rash action could easily expose our weaknesses. It's best to observe for a while first.

'So what's the point of asking me now?'

"I understand."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded.

"So, Qi Mu, how should we prepare for this exam?"

"let it go."

Saiki Kusuo said slowly.

......

After a brief exchange, Kusuo Saiki returned to his room to rest; too many things had happened that day.

"Seriously, what kind of weirdos are in this school..."

Kusuo Saiki sighed helplessly, but not long after lying down, he heard his phone ringing.

Karuizawa Megumi: Are you free?

It was simple and direct, without any further explanation.

Kusuo Saiki was naturally prepared to refuse, as he didn't want to get involved in any more trouble.

But just after he typed out the words "no time," a new message immediately appeared.

Karuizawa Megumi: I'll treat you to dessert.

Kusuo Saiki: Okay, now?

Kusuo Saiki immediately got out of bed and headed to the place he had arranged to meet with Megumi Karuizawa.

.....

Dessert area.

Karuizawa Kei was sitting in a booth, smiling and waving to Shiki Kusuo.

"Qi Mu!"

"Oh dear, this can't be good."

Seeing Karuizawa Megumi, a girl who is usually difficult to get along with, suddenly greet him with such enthusiasm, Saiki Kusuo immediately had a bad feeling.

"I only came to make up for accidentally mentioning your name earlier, and to prevent any unexpected things from happening. It wasn't because you offered to treat me to dessert."

[Qi Mu... He's in my group now. Besides Hirata, he's the only normal person left in the class.]

'Although it feels a bit strange, your judgment is correct.'

[Now that there's no one else to rely on, Qi Mu is the most suitable 'host'.]

Can I refuse?

[Let's just take action now... My looks and figure are pretty good... A guy like Saiki shouldn't have any reason to refuse me... But Sakura might get angry then...]

'Why are we suddenly talking about Sakura again?'

Kusuo Saiki sat down in the seat opposite Megumi Karuizawa.

'Hey, hey, let's finish eating first, and then no matter what she says, just refuse.'

"Qi Mu, thank you for what you did earlier!"

A bright smile graced Karuizawa's face, her amber eyes sparkling.

"Order whatever you like."

"Oh? Then I'm not welcome."

Kusuo Saiki casually ordered a considerable number of desserts, which added up to a rather high price.

[Saiki...is he really that obsessed with desserts? And he really doesn't hold back at all...]

Previously, Karuizawa Kei had spent her points lavishly on clothes, and although she still had some left, it wasn't much, making her already meager points even more scarce.

'Oh dear, this should make them dislike me, so they should probably give up on the idea sooner rather than later.'

Kusuo Saiki thought to himself.

[But since we've already invested so much... we can't give up! We absolutely must succeed in defeating Qi Mu.]

Did it backfire in the end? Oh well, we'll see later.

Soon, the staff brought plates of desserts to the two of them. Kusuo Saiki didn't stand on ceremony and immediately picked up a small spoon to enjoy the desserts in front of him.

Karuizawa Kei's eyes widened slightly; it was the first time she had ever seen someone look so engrossed in eating dessert.

[Most guys, when they're alone with me, should be paying attention to me, right...? But Saiki's attention, from beginning to end, was all on the food...]

Karuizawa Megumi knew that her appearance was an advantage, but she never expected that it would be of no use to Saiki Kusuo.

“Qi Mu-kun..…”

"Ah."

"Um... thank you so much for today. If it weren't for you, Manabe and the others would definitely have continued to make things difficult for me."

"Ah."

Why are you still just humming...? Say something already!

Karuizawa Kei felt a little anxious; she had never met a guy like Saiki Kusuo before.

[Damn it... Am I forced to use my ultimate move? I'll just confess my feelings! Saiki shouldn't be able to refuse!]

'Oh dear, I really don't want that incredibly awkward situation to happen.'

As he pondered this, Kusuo Saiki was also racking his brains for a solution and beginning to put it into action.

"Qi Mu...actually, I've been noticing you since the beginning of the school year..."

Karuizawa Megumi lowered her head, pretending to be very shy.

'Oh dear, you probably didn't even know my name for the first few months of school, did you?'

"Saiki-kun, actually I like..."