Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

On the first day when she hugged him, her affection for him was at its peak.

She didn't want him to misunderstand her behavior in other classes. Was she completely cutting off her relationships with the boys in her class?

She found a solution to accomplish both goals at once — by adopting the persona of an unreasonable gyaru.

Boys would keep their distance, and her strong demeanor would prevent any girls from bullying her. This way, she also removed his need to protect her.

It's clear that Kei put considerable thought into this.

But this was troubling, since the Precognitive Dream showed that ten years later, he would date Arisu, and Suzune would be the one to marry him.

How could she avoid losing?

After being interrupted, Airi hurriedly ran away.

Houtarou stood on the deck, leaning against the railing, feeling the sea breeze on his face.

The sunset lasted only about ten minutes, and now the sun had fully set, leaving the sky much darker.

"What were you doing just now?" Came the familiar dignified voice of a girl.

It was the winner, Suzune.

"Oh, you're back." Houtarou glanced at her, "How did the consultation with Chabashira-sensei go? Did you record it?"

"Yes." Suzune nodded, then handed her phone to him.

He opened the audio file.

[Horikita, I don't know how you got this idea. But I don't believe the school would be unfair. So I think you're wrong, Horikita, and don't spread these thoughts to other Class D students. Otherwise, things will fall apart.]

It was Sae's voice, denying that the school was restricting Class D from advancing to Class A.

However.

"Then what about Chabashira-sensei's behavior afterward?"

"She said she was going to drink."

At this hour, she's already going to drink? It must be because she finally realized it and completely shut down.

Her words indirectly revealed that the school really does prevent Class D students from advancing to Class A.

Looking back, he realized he had been wrong from the start — the school never gave Class D a chance at all.

"Then this time—" Houtarou prepared to proceed with this mission's plan.

As usual, he was about to assign some work to Suzune.

But his phone beeped twice. He received a message.

It was from Kei.

| Kei Karuizawa — Cute Girl |

| Houtarou, I really wasn't trying to bully Sakura earlier. |

Suzune kept her eyes straight ahead.

In her understanding, Houtarou was just someone her brother had brought along to help her gain experience.

His love life, whether being pursued by Kikyō or having contact with other girls, had nothing to do with her.

After Houtarou sent back an "I know" message, he put away his phone.

"Regarding this exam. The information received says the special exam is worth 500-600 points." He said.

"Oh?" Suzune immediately perked up.

For the current her, even learning that Class D was restricted from advancing to Class A wasn't enough to shake her resolve.

After all, she had long ago chosen to focus on collecting 20 million Points instead of trying to advance with Class D.

If she attempted that, her brother would surely mock her, saying "Suzune, are you sure you want to pull up those classmates who are dragging you down? Are they worth it?"

Such words would cut deep.

More precisely, she had discovered that her classmates wouldn't listen to her views, making it impossible to mobilize them effectively.

Moreover, she simply couldn't beat Houtarou.

So she opted for the plan to collect 20 million Points — a path that could also earn her brother's approval.

And now, after almost half a month without gaining any new Points, another opportunity had appeared?

Suzune listened attentively.

"This score is enough to challenge Class A, B, or C's position." Houtarou added, "And my approach is — to put these 600 points in Class D."

"Eh?" Suzune was taken aback, "Put them in Class D?"

"Considering your attempt to get 50 Class Points, I've realized Class D still has value." He said, "And what I want is these 600 Points. Regardless of how your Class D students perform, the school will fairly deposit Points equal to Class Points × 100 each month. Then we'll take those points."

"Isn't this a good plan? For my Class A, even if Class D rises up, they have no chance of reaching Class A, and even if they do advance, the school will intervene. So it's safe, and we can still get points from Class D."

"Ah..." Suzune now understood.

With such high Points at stake in this exam, it would be a test for Class A as well.

But now he had chosen to transfer this test to Class D's side. Class A would be safe, everyone would get Points, Class D's score would increase, and Classes B and C would feel pressure.

Only Class A would have it easiest.

However.

"So what's my compensation this time—" After understanding, she was only concerned about the payment.

She had no interest in Class D anymore.

When Ken failed, she had suggested getting back 70 Class Points for the class, then only asked for 50 Points, but in the end received just 20 Points as compensation. She was quite dissatisfied.

She usually only got 10% compensation for working with Houtarou, and now, she felt she could ask for more.

After all, his current proposal to use Class D as a source of Points was inspired by her initial idea about the 50 Class Points, so she felt she deserved a larger share this time.

"..." Houtarou paused.

Considering feelings, ten years from now Suzune would be Attorney and they'd be family. He couldn't really haggle over payment with his future wife.

But for now, they weren't dating or even comfortable with casual contact like handshakes. It was strictly a professional relationship.

Therefore.

"Your compensation stays at 10%." He said firmly, "Think about it — this is Class D we're dealing with. In just the first month's open-book exam, they could lose 1,000 points from poor behavior alone. Even if they earn 600 points, can they maintain that score? We need someone to act as an enforcer, someone who can keep Class D students in line. Do you think you can be that person?"

"..." Suzune fell silent.

She knew she couldn't — or rather, didn't want to do it.

Class D students wouldn't value their points even if they got them. Their self-control was simply too weak.

Accepting this reality, she quietly dropped her request for higher payment.

"Given Class D's situation, we need someone who can handle this." Houtarou said, gazing ahead.

"Who could be suitable for this?" Suzune asked quickly.

"Kōenji is similar to you — someone aiming to collect 20 million points to graduate early." He said, "His abilities exceed even Katsuragi from my class. As for Kōenji now—"

According to upperclassmen, they'd found Rokusuke's photo on his family business's official website before enrollment.

This revealed his personal ambitions. But what was he up to now?

And where could they find him?

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He was easy to find.

The staff quickly told them about a troublesome guest who would swim in the pool, then walk to his cabin dripping wet without drying off.

This created endless work for the cleaning staff.

Now he was sunbathing on the ship's highest open-air deck — though the sun had already set.

When Houtarou and Suzune arrived, they found him just getting up from his lounger.

"Well, if it isn't Oreki-kun and Horikita girl~ By the way, Oreki-kun, you seemed to be enjoying taking photos down there." Rokusuke was clearly in good spirits.

Of course he was.

At school, the Point System kept him busy collecting points, and despite the adequate facilities, they felt like deprivation to someone from his wealthy background.

But now, back on the ship, he could finally act like the Kōenji Family heir again, receiving the treatment he felt he deserved.

Naturally, he was at ease. Like someone who'd endured hardship and finally returned to proper comfort.

"Kōenji." Houtarou said, "I'm here to invite you to participate in this exam."

"Oh." Rokusuke sat up immediately, "How many points can I get?"

He'd grown savvier after participating in the previous Fight/Steal event where they collected money from Kakeru.

Though he wanted to exchange real cash for students' points, money couldn't freely enter the school. His only option was to let the upperclassmen know he was the genuine Kōenji Family heir and leverage that relationship for credit.

However, with several months until graduation, the third-years still had other options. This had dramatically slowed his point collection.

But Houtarou had already amassed 20 million Points, and Rokusuke deeply respected his ability to earn them.

Otherwise, he rarely spoke to others. As a natural genius nurtured by the Kōenji Family, he saw himself above others. Regular people were just ordinary.

Geniuses and ordinary people had no common language.

But Houtarou had earned his recognition and the right to converse with him.

"If the exam is worth 600 points." Houtarou said, "Then 1 million goes to Class D, 2 million to you, 3 million to me. However, you'll be responsible for earning these 600 points. And you'll need to ensure Class D students maintain this score for at least 6 months."

"Heh—" Rokusuke laughed, glancing at Suzune.

While Houtarou was speaking, she had remained silent, demonstrating her usual compliance with his directives.

"Why should I be the one to earn the 600 points while you take half, and I still have to keep Class D from losing these points?" He said, "This doesn't seem fair at all."

"Well, do you know what the exam is?" Houtarou asked.

"Hm?" Rokusuke looked at him.

"Haven't you noticed? The ship's trajectory has shown a pattern — it's now circling around a distant island?"

"?" Rokusuke suddenly sat up, then stood.

This was the ship's highest level, offering the best view. The ship maintained a constant speed as it circled the island.

"Why do you think I was on deck at sunset?" Houtarou said.

"...Weren't you taking photos with girls?" Rokusuke said.

From his vantage point on the top level, he had observed Houtarou interacting with girls from his class on the deck below.

"Hm?" Suzune looked at Houtarou with surprise.

She hadn't noticed this at all.

So while she was getting information from Sae, he had been taking photos with girls?

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