Saiki Kusuo's Classroom of the Elite

Just as Horikita Manabu and Saiki were talking, Nagumo Miyabi arrived 'right on time.'

"As expected of Horikita-senpai! I lost to you again this time!"

Nagumo Miyabi walked over to the group with a smile.

"I've already said, there was no competition between us. This was just a regular PE class exercise. Whether you're first or second doesn't matter."

Horikita Manabu replied calmly.

"Oh, is that so?"

Nagumo Miyabi maintained his smile. He was well aware that Horikita Manabu had definitely given it his all during the first 100 meters.

What slightly concerned him, however, were the two first-year students.

Although Saiki and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had started with an astonishing speed, Nagumo Miyabi hadn't expected that neither he nor Horikita Manabu could catch up to them.

Moreover, even though Horikita Manabu had disguised it well, Nagumo Miyabi still noticed that Horikita seemed somewhat interested in Saiki.

[This first-year student has shown impressive speed, but only in the first half. As for other aspects, after investigating, he seems rather ordinary. Why does Horikita-senpai seem so interested in him? Is it because there really aren't any talented freshmen in the first year?]

Nagumo Miyabi pondered this while turning to look at Saiki.

"I have to say, you first-years are really capable! To think you could run so fast!"

Meanwhile, Kiriyama Ikuto stood on the other side, leaning against the wall to rest while observing Saiki and the others from a distance.

"We were just fast at the start. Our stamina gave out later."

Saiki repeated what he had said earlier.

"But being able to finish the race is already quite impressive. Keep up the good work!"

Nagumo Miyabi said with a friendly smile before waving and leaving. Horikita Manabu, on the other hand, walked off in the opposite direction.

"Kusuo, you're still holding back, aren't you?"

After everyone else had left, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka turned to ask.

'You're the one to talk.'

Saiki thought to himself but still replied,

"Ayanokoji, you're the one holding back. You were able to accelerate at the very end."

"I just wanted to see if you were still holding back. I didn't expect you to actually accelerate."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said slowly,

"As for me, I only had a little stamina left to force that acceleration."

"If you say so, then I guess I did too."

"Is that so?"

In a way, the two of them were somewhat similar, and their conversation at this moment was utterly meaningless.

...

After the PE class, they still had a meditation session. Following the grueling long-distance run, this meditation session felt like torture.

[It hurts... I'm going to collapse...]

[Please end soon... I can't take it anymore...]

[It's all because of those guys at the start... They set such a fast pace, and I couldn't keep up...]

'Yare yare...'

Saiki closed his eyes, pretending not to hear anything.

Finally, after several dozen minutes, the meditation session ended. Yukimura Teruhiko nearly collapsed on the spot and had to be helped up by a few people before he could head to the cafeteria.

After arriving at the cafeteria, Saiki naturally met up with Karuizawa Kei, Sakura Airi, and others. They briefly shared their experiences of the day—though Saiki didn't mention anything about the PE class.

"Hey, Kusuo! What a coincidence!"

As they were eating, a cheerful female voice called out to him. It was Ichinose Honami.

"Long time no see, Ichinose."

Saiki turned and responded.

Ichinose Honami's greeting drew the attention of many around them.

Without a doubt, Ichinose Honami wasn't just popular among the first-years. Her cheerful and warm personality, coupled with her cute and delicate appearance, made her highly popular across all grades.

And anyone whose name Ichinose Honami called out would naturally attract attention.

"I wanted to hang out with you during the winter break, but you said you were too busy and didn't have time!"

Ichinose Honami said as she sat down next to Saiki.

"Yeah, I was a bit busy during the break..."

Saiki replied.

'Actually, I mostly stayed in my room or at home reading manga and watching shows. Going out was out of the question.'

"Kusuo-kun, were you really that busy during the break?"

Ichinose Honami's gaze swept over Karuizawa Kei and Sakura Airi before landing on Saiki's plate.

"Kusuo-kun, you have quite the appetite, huh?"

On Saiki's plate was a mountain of food.

"Yeah... I was really tired after today's PE class, so I needed to eat more."

Saiki casually made up an excuse.

"I see. You first-years really had it tough!"

At this, Ichinose Honami sighed.

"Things aren't looking great on our end either... By the way, Kusuo-kun, how are the relationships within your group?"

"They're alright. We're getting along... fairly well."

Saiki thought for a moment before answering.

'Yare yare, if it weren't for what happened earlier... Ishizaki might've ended up arguing with the others... Although it might raise Hashimoto's suspicions, our group hasn't had any major conflicts...'

Saiki thought to himself, though he wasn't exactly happy about it.

"That's great to hear. We've had a lot of issues in our group..."

Ichinose Honami slumped onto the table, looking utterly exhausted.

"Even though I thought we'd avoid any conflicts, they still happened... Maybe the teachers didn't schedule any classes on the first day because they expected this..."

"It's tough, huh."

"I guess you could say it was tough before we formed the current group. Girls can be quite straightforward, you know? Some people openly said they disliked certain girls. Boys tend to be more ambiguous about their personal feelings."

Hearing Ichinose Honami's words, Saiki couldn't help but think of Ryuen Kakeru, who was openly disliked by many.

However, Saiki's telepathy had inadvertently picked up on some things about Ryuen's group. It seemed Ryuen hadn't been too aggressive this time, but Saiki didn't mention it.

"Kusuo, what would you do if a conflict broke out in your group?"

Ichinose Honami, still slumped on the table, tilted her head slightly.

'I'd probably stay out of it. But if it involves me or gets too troublesome, I might consider using my powers to resolve it.'

Saiki thought to himself but replied,

"I'd try to mediate, I guess."

"Is that all we can do in the end? Sigh."

Ichinose Honami let out another long sigh, looking completely drained. This wasn't like her usual self.

For Ichinose Honami to be this down, it seemed her group was really in trouble.

Ichinose Honami was one of the few normal people Saiki had met at school.

At the same time, Saiki could feel more eyes turning toward Ichinose Honami.

[That's a first-year girl, right? She's so cute!]

[Who's that guy next to her? There are some really cute girls around him too!]

[I'm so jealous.]

Such thoughts were common, which was why Saiki had initially wanted to eat alone.

Now, he might end up being watched by the entire school.

But at that moment, Saiki's expression suddenly turned serious, and his brow furrowed slightly.

He had caught a familiar—yet very concerning—thought.

[First-year Ichinose Honami~ It would be wonderful to make her mine~]

Saiki narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze shifting to the source of the thought.

Nagumo Miyabi.

Although there were many people around, the distance between them wasn't too far, and Saiki could hear Nagumo's thoughts.

He knew very well that Nagumo Miyabi wasn't just thinking about it—he was serious.

"What's wrong, Kusuo-kun...? You look a bit upset."

Sakura Airi, sitting beside him, keenly noticed the subtle change in Saiki's expression.

"It's nothing."

Saiki replied.

...

After finishing their meal, Saiki parted ways with the others and prepared to return to his room.

Just then, he heard some commotion ahead. A dispute seemed to have broken out in the hallway, and a crowd had gathered.

'Yare yare, what now? Please don't tell me something troublesome has happened again.'

Though Saiki thought this, he still found himself drawn to the scene, using his x-ray vision to observe what was going on.

"Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?"

"Mm... Don't worry."

In the middle of the crowd, Yamauchi Haruki apologetically reached out to a girl who had fallen.

Saiki noticed that the girl who had fallen was Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A. However, Sakayanagi didn't take Yamauchi's hand and instead tried to get up on her own.

But she seemed unable to stand by herself. She grabbed her fallen cane, leaned against the wall, and slowly got up.

Although the time from falling to standing was less than a minute, it must have felt like an eternity for Sakayanagi under the gaze of so many onlookers.

Yamauchi Haruki awkwardly withdrew his hand and said,

"Well, uh, I'll be going then!"

'Hey, hey, even though she said it's fine, you're just going to leave like that?'

Saiki complained in his mind.

"Yes, please don't worry about it."

Sakayanagi Arisu gave a faint, polite smile and turned her gaze away from Yamauchi.

The crowd gradually dispersed. It wasn't a big deal.

"Well, Sakayanagi-chan is cute, but she's so clumsy."

Yamauchi Haruki, without a second thought, left such a remark, perfectly in line with his character.

He didn't seem to care about having bumped into Sakayanagi and simply walked away.

[Sakayanagi-chan is so cute~ Ah, I should've shown more concern. A boy and girl bumping into each other and falling in love—isn't that the kind of scene you see in anime and dramas?]

'Yare yare, still indulging in unrealistic fantasies at a time like this? You're really hopeless.'

Saiki sighed inwardly and prepared to leave.

But just then, he heard a clear thought from Sakayanagi Arisu's mind.

[Yamauchi Haruki, a student from Class B. He rudely bumped into me and made such frivolous remarks. I'll have him expelled.]

'Yare yare, Sakayanagi is really a troublesome one. She seems to know quite a bit about Ayanokoji too—oh right, isn't Chairman Sakayanagi her father?'

[Also, after this special exam, it's time to target Class C. Ryuen has already been defeated by someone, and Class D isn't even worth defeating. The next target to crush is Class C.]

[Ichinose is Class C's leader. When the time comes, I'll crush her without mercy~ I wonder how it'll feel to be betrayed and doubted by everyone.]

[But I'm not targeting Ichinose specifically. Doing this will draw Ayanokoji's attention to me, and perhaps force the mastermind behind Class B to reveal themselves—whether that person is Ayanokoji or not, we'll find out soon enough. I'm really looking forward to what's going to happen after we return to school~]

Sakayanagi Arisu's face wore a smile, but there was no warmth in her eyes.

Saiki glanced at her but didn't linger. He then walked away, heading back to his dorm.

'It seems like there'll be no shortage of trouble after this exam, huh?'

Saiki thought to himself.

'Well, I'll just focus on getting through this exam first.'