Houtarou Oreki Classroom of the Elite

Arisu has returned.

She's still in her school uniform with white stockings. As Houtarou looks at her, he feels her cuteness level has increased by +10.

Perhaps it's because they're in her dormitory. While the school dorms have standardized layouts, students can decorate according to their preferences. Arisu has adorned hers with wallpaper and cute decorations, giving it the air of a little princess's chamber.

Since she's known as Princess Sakayanagi in class, it's fitting that she lives and dresses like one. This truly embodies what being a girl is all about.

"Oreki's cat is very affectionate." Arisu said, crouching down to pet the cat's head. When she lifts her hand, the cat nuzzled against it.

The cat is indeed friendly. Earlier, when Houtarou was petting its head, it had cleverly rolled over on its own.

Yet when he used to keep it, it was never this well-behaved. The cat must be receiving excellent care while staying with Arisu.

Though he came to pet his cat and ensure it hadn't forgotten him, he now feels awkward about simply leaving.

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"Tea will be fine." Arisu said.

Houtarou prepared the tea using her leaves and cups.

"I'm sorry — my health isn't good, and Kamuro usually handles these things. Since she's not here right now, I have to trouble you." She said.

She seems apologetic. Everyone knows about her poor health, and no one faults her for it.

Houtarou observes that Masumi is quite capable. He had assumed she only provided basic assistance, but she's actually skilled at handling daily matters.

What kind of leverage does Arisu have over that poor girl?

Houtarou wonders about this, but from his Precognitive Dream, he knows Masumi stays by Arisu's side even after graduation. It can't be as simple as leverage — it must be her own choice.

"By the way." Arisu continued, "Oreki, you can open that wrapped package on the table."

"A package?"

On the square table, beside a chess set with board and pieces, sits a rectangular box with decorative ribbons.

Inside is a necktie.

Houtarou looked at Arisu. The blue tie doesn't seem to match her father's style.

"Since we rarely meet on weekends, I had to give you your gift early." She said, "Though it's a day early, happy birthday, Oreki."

Houtarou: "..."

Ah. He had misunderstood, thinking she wanted him to check if the gift suited her father. But it was for him.

The school uniform consists of a shirt with a jacket. Students can choose between wearing a bow tie or necktie. Houtarou, not one for unusual fashion, naturally dresses conventionally.

After some consideration, he removes the school-issued tie and puts on the one Arisu gave him, receiving her look of approval.

"How did Arisu know my birthday?"

He had revealed it in class today because of a horoscope question.

But examining the perfectly wrapped tie that suits him so well, he realized something. Since Arisu had visited her father after school and just returned, she couldn't have prepared this gift today.

This gift must have been prepared well in advance.

Just like the message from his senior sponsor this evening, Arisu somehow knew his information beforehand.

"The last six digits of each student's phone account information is their birth date." She revealed, "I noticed it was true for me, then for Kamuro, and verified it with others. That's how I confirmed it and could prepare in advance. I rarely give gifts to people, so please don't think poorly of it."

Hmm...

Houtarou: "..."

He should mention that he rarely receives gifts from others, so he feels quite pressured.

When you receive something, you have to give back — it's both courtesy and sentiment. It's not something you can simply accept and ignore. He needs to pay attention to her too.

Now he needs to find out Arisu's birthday, learn about her interests and hobbies, and give her a suitable gift.

To get her birthday information, as she just explained, he can check her account. School IDs are unique, so student information is updated promptly. It can indeed be looked up. No one keeps it hidden.

As if to prove this point, Houtarou's phone receives a message.

| Kōhei Katsuragi |

| Oreki, though it's early, happy birthday. |

| Since we can't usually contact you on weekends, I had to say it early. |

Ah. Can't contact on weekends. That's true.

Actually, after 6-7 PM every day, he can't usually be reached since he leaves his phone in the dorm and departs from school. On weekends, he rarely stays at school.

After all, isn't sleeping in at home more comfortable?

He's a person of self-discipline and healthy living, consistently getting over 10 hours of sleep twice a week.

Ding! Ding!

His phone suddenly started vibrating.

| Oreki, happy birthday in advance! |

| Oreki... |

| Oreki, happy birthday in advance! |

His classmates seem to have coordinated their birthday messages.

Since Houtarou is right next to Arisu, she noticed his phone notifications.

"Tch—" She pursed her lips.

"What's wrong?" Houtarou asked after replying to the messages, noticing her expression resembling an unhappy cat.

"Nothing." Arisu said.

While few people would notice that the last six digits of the account are birthdays, she had simply wanted to check Houtarou's fortune today by asking about his birthday in class. Unfortunately, everyone had overheard.

Now with so many people sending messages, it's clear they only noticed today. It's disappointing to see classmates acting so opportunistically.

And Houtarou, receiving so many congratulations for the first time, petted his cat again.

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When he returned to his dorm at seven-thirty, this time Houtarou didn't immediately use Teleportation to switch from boarding student to commuter.

He sat on his bed. Besides his classmates, his phone had received messages from students in other classes.

And... The senior sent a message. The erotic picture seems to have been upgraded, along with birthday wishes.

But why would an erotic picture be considered a birthday gift?

However.

| Kikyō Kushida |

| Stay up tonight, I'll find you at midnight. |

| Don't think about avoiding it, you made me do something quite unsatisfactory a few days ago. |

This puzzling message likely refers to following Honami's advice about confessions.

He had asked Kikyō to confess to him, wanting to gain experience being confessed to by cute girls.

At the time, her expression showed complete shock, even devastation. Actively confessing seemed to cause her considerable distress.

So what could this message mean?

From Arisu and his classmates' early celebrations, Houtarou knows his birthday is the 9th, and today is the 8th. At midnight, it will be the start of the 9th. Kikyō probably wants to call or message him then.

Having interacted for so long, she knows he can't be found on weekends, and after 8 PM he's unreachable. That's why she sent a message reminding him to check at midnight.

Kikyō seems quite skilled at, or at least very mindful of, maintaining interpersonal relationships.

He opened his phone and went to the student ID account information section, where he saw the information fields, including one for entering date of birth. His was August 9th.

Houtarou hadn't set his information to private, so it remained public. Generally, students kept their information accurate, which meant anyone could look it up. This explained how others had discovered his birthday.

While pondering this, he suddenly glanced toward the entrance. Someone had quickly passed by his door, only to disappear just as fast.

Then, he received a message.

| Kei Karuizawa |

| Open your door for a moment. |

| Someone seems to have come, so I'll be leaving. |

So she was the one who had just passed by?

Houtarou took his phone, walked to the entrance, and opened the door to find a bag hanging on the doorknob.

The bag bore the Shuku Bookstore logo. Inside was a book wrapped in thin plastic film, its pages clearly visible through the wrapping.

[My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected - Volume 14]

It was the final volume of the light novel he'd been searching for at the bookstore earlier that evening.

He'd only mentioned it once, before going to trick Class D's Hiyori and visiting Arisu's cats.

As Houtarou examined the book, his phone vibrated with another message from Kei.

This time, instead of text, she'd sent a small illustrated sticker—a cute strawberry round cake with several candles stuck in it. Below was the text:

| Though it's a bit early, happy birthday, Oreki. |

Now Houtarou understood why she had specifically asked at the bookstore if there was anything he wanted — she had been trying to find out what he'd like for his birthday. After getting the book he wanted, she had left in a hurry, presumably to search other bookstores.

Her actions showed how attentive Kei was to his interests and how much effort she put into finding the perfect gift.

After a moment's thought, Houtarou took down the bag and returned to his dorm room.

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