Classroom of the Elite, Kusuo Saiki

"Qi Mu? Have you arrived yet?"

Just then, a familiar voice rang out beside them.

Shiina Hiyori.

'Who is this person...?'

Karuizawa Kei looked at Shiina Hiyori's face with some doubt. Without a doubt, Shiina Hiyori was also a top-notch beauty, quiet and gentle, which was completely opposite to the image that Karuizawa Kei was trying to portray.

Because of Shiina Hiyori's appearance, Karuizawa Kei's 'confession' was directly cut short, and she had no choice but to swallow her words.

All of this was done by Kusuo Saiki.

While having dessert, Kusuo Saiki used his telepathy to detect that Hiyori Shiina was in a nearby library. He then secretly used his superpower to control his phone and send a message to Hiyori Shiina, asking her to borrow some novels and deliver them to the coffee shop.

"I've brought you the novel you wanted!"

Hiyori Shiina smiled at Kusuo Saiki and handed him several novels.

"Thank you so much."

Kusuo Saiki took the book and then nodded to Hiyori Shiina.

[Is Saiki alone with another girl? Not the same girl from last time...?]

[This girl... I feel like I've seen her somewhere before... Wait, isn't she Megumi Karuizawa?]

[I've heard rumors about Karuizawa; she's not exactly known for her good temper, but she seems quite familiar with Saiki-kun... Saiki doesn't usually message me first, but this time he asked me to borrow a book for him, and even specifically brought it to the confectionery stand... I see... It seems Saiki-kun called me over to avoid any awkward situations.]

'As expected of you, Shiina!'

Kusuo Saiki praised Hiyori Shiina in his heart; as expected, she had guessed his purpose immediately.

In that case, let's help Saiki a little.

As Shiina Hiyori spoke, she sat down:

"Qi Mu, are you interested in other novels of this type?"

"Ah."

Kusuo Saiki nodded immediately.

Then, Hiyori Shiina began to introduce various novels. On the one hand, it was to help Kusuo Saiki solve his troubles, and on the other hand, these were books that she really wanted to recommend to Kusuo Saiki. Once the topic came up, Hiyori Shiina became quite talkative.

[No, she just sat down like that?]

What exactly are those two talking about?

[What method? What locked room? Were they really speaking an earthly language?]

Karuizawa Kei was completely unable to join their conversation, and didn't even know when she should say "uh-huh." She only felt incredibly awkward and drowsy.

Finally, after who knows how much time had passed, Shiina Hiyori finished recounting her list of books, and the desserts on the table were almost all gone.

"In that case, I should take my leave! I've said too much without realizing it!"

Hiyori Shiina stood up from her seat and said to Kusuo Shiki with a smile.

"It's okay, I want to see these things too."

Kusuo Saiki replied.

Although he hadn't expected Shiina Hiyori to be able to talk for so long, at least he prevented Karuizawa Kei from saying those embarrassing things directly.

Hiyori Shiina left immediately, and Kusuo Saiki stood up as well:

"Thank you, Karuizawa-kun. I've finished eating, so I'll be going now."

"Oh well!"

Karuizawa felt a sense of relief and then prepared to stand up and leave.

Wait! I've forgotten my purpose!

I need to find a host!

The points have already been spent, so we absolutely cannot waste them!

"Qi Mu!"

Karuizawa Kei quickly called out to Saiki Kusuo, and was somewhat surprised to find that Saiki Kusuo had already run more than five meters away in less than a second.

'Oh dear, it seems you haven't managed to escape yet?'

Kusuo Saiki felt somewhat helpless, but since the other party had already called his name, he could only stop and return to Karuizawa Megumi's side.

'Who should I call next? Yamauchi is right next to me, but I really don't want to call him. But if...'

"Qi Mu, there's something I need to tell you..."

At that moment, Karuizawa Kei's expression gradually became serious.

"Ah."

Kusuo Saiki did not use his superpowers to take any action; he simply looked at the other person calmly and followed him to an empty corridor.

"I'm sorry, I did want to lie to you before, but now I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

Karuizawa Megumi's tone became urgent. Although Saiki Kusuo knew she was trying her best to control herself, there was still a hint of a sob in her voice.

"I'm sorry for putting on a tough front at school... because I've suffered very serious bullying in the past... my chair was vandalized, my clothes were written on, and I was beaten up..."

I'm at my wit's end, I have no other choice... I have no choice but to tell you all this... Qi Mu is my only protection right now...

As she spoke, Karuizawa Megumi's eyes gradually welled up with tears; for her, these were all incredibly painful memories.

In order to avoid getting hurt again, the only option is to reopen the wounds that have not yet healed.

Kusuo Saiki knew very well that everything Karuizawa Kei said was true; she had indeed suffered inhuman treatment.

"...Qi Mu, you have a very good reputation in the class right now... so... could I be so kind as to ask you to pretend to be my boyfriend... like that..."

"I'm sorry, I can't agree to that."

Almost without hesitation, Kusuo Saiki gave a negative answer.

From any perspective, Kusuo Saiki could not possibly agree to Megumi Karuizawa's request. Not only would it make Kusuo Saiki even more eye-catching, but it would also be an irresponsible act for others.

Originally, Kusuo Saiki would have avoided this situation, but since Kei Karuizawa has directly revealed her most painful memories, Kusuo Saiki will personally give her his true thoughts.

"Really? I understand..."

At this moment, Karuizawa Kei was plunged into absolute despair.

"However, I can promise you one thing: no one in this school will bully you anymore. I can guarantee that."

But at that moment, Kusuo Saiki spoke slowly.

"Oh dear, consider this compensation for treating me to those desserts."

Chapter 84: The Dust Settles Down, The Final Discussion

"what?"

Upon hearing Kusuo Saiki's words, Megumi Karuizawa was stunned for a moment, seemingly still unable to understand what he meant.

"If anything unexpected happens in the future, just contact me directly, but please don't create any more trouble."

Kusuo Saiki paused briefly, then continued.

"As for Manabe, I'll handle it. They shouldn't bother you anymore."

Kusuo Saiki knew that, given the vile personalities of Shiho Manabe and her group, they would likely seek an opportunity to retaliate against Megumi Karuizawa in an even more horrific way.

However, it seems that Kiyotaka Ayanokoji recorded their attempt to bully Megumi Karuizawa, which might be used to stop Shiho Manabe and the others' actions.

"Also, I suggest you apologize to that girl named Rika. I can help you get her contact information."

"But....."

"If all else fails, sending an apology text message will do."

Saiki Kusuo said.

For Kusuo Saiki, these two things should be separate. Even if it were Megumi Karuizawa, she shouldn't bully others in order to protect herself.

Karuizawa Kei wanted to say something more, but in the end, she couldn't say anything for a long time. In the end, she could only purse her lips and nod.

"That's settled then. I'll head back now. Thank you for your hospitality today."

Saiki Kusuo said to Karuizawa Megumi, and then prepared to leave.

But at that moment, Karuizawa Megumi spoke again, calling out to Saiki Kusuo:

"Oh, right, Saiki-kun... um... I'm the one receiving special treatment in this group..."

"Okay, I understand. Let's discuss exam strategies together tonight."

......

After returning to his dormitory, Kusuo Saiki went to Kiyotaka Ayanokoji again and told him that Megumi Karuizawa was a privileged individual.

"I see, so Karuizawa is a recipient of preferential treatment?"

Kiyotaka Ayanokoji wasn't particularly surprised.

"Now that we know who the recipient of the preferential treatment is, you can do whatever you want with them."

Saiki Kusuo said.

Almost simultaneously, Kusuo Saiki heard Kiyotaka Ayanokouji's inner thoughts.

[At the moment, although the credibility of Chabashira-sensei's words is decreasing, we still need to take a conservative approach. Let's give it our all in this exam.]

[Because we, Karuizawa, are the leaders, our goal is to mislead others—especially Class A.]

The best way to confirm the recipient's eligibility is to directly verify their information using their phone; this is also the best way to mislead them. Although the SIM card is linked to each phone, it can be unlinked by spending points. Then, while changing the SIM card, the recipient can exchange phones with someone else, creating a double layer of misleading—and the first layer of misleading must be discovered by others so that they are less likely to notice the second trap and completely believe what they see.

'Wow, that was fast...'

Kusuo Saiki couldn't help but sigh inwardly. In the few seconds it took for him to reveal his status as a privileged individual, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji had already figured out how to pass the exam.

"Well, I've roughly figured out a tactic. Tomorrow is the last day of this special exam, and the results will be announced later."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing, Ayanokouji. You recorded the video of Manabe and the others with Karuizawa, right?"