Classroom of the Elite: Standing Firm in Class A — Chapter 108

Chapter 108: Invitation

Mashima Tomoya scanned the faces of the gathered students, his expression carrying its usual strict weight.

“Alright, that covers all the rules for this Special Exam. If there is anything you do not understand, you may ask within the designated time starting tomorrow.” He paused, letting the silence settle over the room. “Everyone may leave now. Remember, the official notification for the start of the exam will be sent at eight o’clock tomorrow morning. Please ensure your phones are charged and reachable.”

Chairs scraped against the floor in a disjointed chorus as the students rose to their feet. Kaedehara Tetsu pushed his chair back and stood up. To him, the lengthy explanation they had just endured was nothing more than a perfunctory ritual, a tedious prelude to the actual game.

The students filed out of the room one by one. Soon, only a scattered few remained behind, quietly packing their belongings or exchanging hushed, anxious whispers. Footsteps echoed out into the corridor, mingling with the fading snatches of conversation as the crowd dispersed.

Tetsu walked out of Room 204. The lights lining the corridor ceiling were starkly bright compared to the subdued ambiance of the meeting room. Beneath his feet, the faint, rhythmic vibration of the cruise ship’s engines provided a constant reminder that they were floating far from the stability of land.

Most of the students had already vacated the floor, evidently eager to retreat to their cabins and dissect the overwhelming influx of information they had just received. Only a few stragglers lingered in the hallway, walking at a sluggish pace.

Takemoto Shigeru was leaning casually against the corridor wall, his hands buried deep in his trouser pockets. Catching sight of Tetsu emerging from the room, he pushed himself off the wall and closed the distance between them.

“Kaedehara-san, do you have any plans?” Takemoto asked, his brow furrowing slightly. “This exam sounds like a massive headache.”

Tetsu spared him a brief glance, his demeanor entirely unruffled. “There is no rush. Let’s wait until the school announces who the Special Favor Holder is tomorrow.”

His tone was utterly relaxed, carrying the same casual weight as a passing comment on the weather. This sheer composure caught Takemoto off guard, causing him to blink in mild surprise.

“There is no use in rushing now. The rules are already set in stone,” Tetsu added smoothly.

Reaching into his pocket, Tetsu retrieved his phone. His thumb glided effortlessly across the screen as he opened the Class A group chat and typed out a swift directive.

“Everyone, please post the member lists for your respective groups in the chat. We need to tally the overall situation.”

After sending the message, he slipped the device away. He knew his classmates would comply immediately. The recent island exam had thoroughly drilled the importance of absolute information control into their heads.

Watching the exchange, Takemoto nodded in agreement. “That is definitely the wise move. Knowing the exact composition of the other groups will give us a solid foundation.” He stretched his arms overhead, a faint pop sounding from his shoulders. “I will head back to my room then. Contact me anytime if you need something done.”

“Go get some rest,” Tetsu replied.

Takemoto turned and headed toward the upper decks, his footsteps gradually fading into the ambient hum of the ship.

The corridor grew quiet, leaving Tetsu seemingly alone. Yet, about ten meters down the hall, a familiar figure remained. Ichinose Honami stood patiently, having clearly waited for his conversation with Takemoto to conclude. She brushed a strand of long, strawberry-blonde hair behind her ear, her gaze darting toward Tetsu before politely looking away. The gentle sway of the ship caused the hem of her uniform skirt to flutter slightly.

Acknowledging her presence, Tetsu raised a hand in a lazy wave. Seeing the gesture, Ichinose allowed her signature, warm smile to bloom across her features and walked over to him.

“Honami, is something the matter?” Tetsu asked.

Ichinose stopped a few paces away, a flicker of helpless amusement dancing in her clear eyes. “You are doing it again… calling me by my first name. I have told you so many times already.”

Her tone held no real bite. It sounded more like the comfortable grievance of a close friend than an actual reprimand.

“Since no one is around, it shouldn’t matter if we are a little casual. Right, Honami?”

Ichinose let out a soft sigh, her shoulders dropping as if she were abandoning a lost cause. “I really cannot win with you. Fine. As you said, there is no one else here right now.”

She glanced up and down the empty corridor, verifying that Takemoto was truly gone and no eavesdroppers lingered in the shadows. When her gaze returned to Tetsu, the gentle warmth had been replaced by a sharp, probing intensity.

“However, Kaedehara-san. Do you have any plans for this exam?” she asked, her voice dropping a fraction. “The rules we were just given are incredibly complex. If Class A intends to make any major moves, our Class B will have to be very careful in how we respond.”

Though she masked the warning behind a light, conversational tone, the vigilance in her eyes was unmistakable. In the ruthless hierarchy of this academy, class warfare was an omnipresent shadow. Personal affection could never supersede the survival of the collective.

Tetsu observed her guarded expression, a faint, playful curve touching the corners of his mouth. “Plans? Of course I do.”

He took a deliberate step forward, closing the personal space between them. He lowered his voice, wrapping his words in an air of conspiratorial intimacy.

“I want to earn a massive amount of points. How about it? Are you interested in joining me?”

The sheer audacity of the blunt invitation made Ichinose freeze. She blinked her large, expressive eyes, her mind clearly struggling to process the sudden pivot.

“Earn… points?”

“That is right. By eight-thirty tomorrow evening, I am going to submit the name of the Special Favor Holder to the school.”

His voice was a mere whisper, yet it struck the quiet corridor like a boulder dropped into a tranquil pond, sending violent ripples through her composure.

“How about it? Do you want to haul in this prize with me?”

“Eh…?” she breathed out, staring at the boy before her as if he had grown a second head. Her voice spiked in pitch before she caught herself, quickly lifting a hand to cover her mouth. “Wait… what exactly are you saying, Kaedehara-san?”

Her mind raced, trying to find the logic.

“The Special Favor Holder… the school has not even announced who the Special Favor Holder is yet. The emails do not go out until eight o’clock tomorrow morning.”

Ichinose was thoroughly derailed. Tetsu’s phrasing was not a hopeful guess; it was a statement of absolute certainty. He spoke as if he already held the winning hand. How could that be possible? It defied all logic. Short of genuine clairvoyance or breaching the school’s highly secure servers, there was no way to know.

Yet, looking into Tetsu’s dark, unwavering eyes, the word impossible began to fracture in her mind. This was the same boy who had orchestrated a flawless, crushing victory during the deserted island exam using strategies no one had anticipated.

She took a slow, steadying breath, forcing her racing heart to calm. “This proposal… it is far too sudden. And if what you are saying is true, the risk involved is astronomical.”

The rules explicitly stated that an incorrect guess by anyone other than the Special Favor Holder would result in a devastating penalty to their class points. This was not a casual gamble. She carried the hopes, dreams, and absolute trust of every single student in Class B upon her shoulders.

“I… I need to think about this carefully.”

Tetsu watched her internal struggle with mild amusement. He had never expected a paragon of caution like Ichinose to leap blindly into the dark on his word alone.

“No problem. You have plenty of time to consider,” he said, his posture relaxing into total indifference. “You can give me your answer tomorrow afternoon.”

With that, he cleanly severed the heavy tension, acting as though the monumental proposition had merely been a passing remark. He turned his attention to the large windows lining the corridor, noting the dark canvas of the evening sky stretching over the ocean. He idly rubbed his stomach.

“Come to think of it, it is getting quite late.”

Ichinose blinked, the sudden shift in atmosphere pulling her back to reality. Since he was not pressing the issue, she allowed her taut nerves to unwind slightly.

“Have you had dinner yet, Kaedehara-san?”