Classroom of the Elite: Standing Firm in Class A — Chapter 99

Chapter 99: The Plan

“First, take him away and have him withdraw from the exam citing physical illness,” Tetsu said, his voice cutting cleanly through the torrential downpour. He gestured casually toward the unconscious form of Kakeru sprawled in the mud. “Then, you step up. You become the new Key Card holder.”

“That way, Class D will guess the leader of Class C incorrectly during the final roll call, resulting in a deduction of fifty Class Points.”

Mio frowned. Rain plastered her dark hair to her cheeks as she stared at the fallen tyrant, her mind racing to process the feasibility of the proposal.

It made a twisted sort of sense. If the Key Card holder was swapped at the eleventh hour under the guise of a medical emergency, the opposing classes would have zero time to detect the change.

“And then what?” Mio asked, her tone sharp with suspicion. “Just making Class D lose fifty points—what good does that actually do for Class C?”

“Of course, the scope of my design isn’t so narrow,” Tetsu replied, a faint, chilling smile touching his lips.

“Tomorrow, during the final phase where we guess the leaders of the opposing classes, I need you to write down Kiyotaka Ayanokoji as the answer for Class D.”

“Ayanokoji?” Mio blinked, wiping rainwater from her eyes. “But the Key Card holder for Class D is Suzune Horikita. I saw her Key Card with my own eyes. I know it’s her.”

Tetsu shook his head slowly. Water droplets flew from his dark hair, catching the faint ambient light. “I already told you, your little infiltration plan has been completely exposed. And the person who unraveled your secret is none other than Ayanokoji.”

He took a slow step forward, his presence commanding despite the raging storm. “After learning about Class C’s underlying strategy, he will absolutely force Class D to change their Key Card holder to avoid being exploited.”

Mio chewed her lower lip, thinking it over. “But why must the new holder be him? He could easily find another classmate to take on that target.”

“That requires a basic psychological profile of the man himself,” Tetsu explained smoothly, his tone dripping with absolute certainty. “Given his true nature, he would never seek genuine help from others.”

“In a sudden crisis like this, he prefers to handle the variables alone. Even at a critical juncture, he won’t easily place his trust in a proxy. Therefore, by simple process of elimination, the new Key Card holder must be himself.”

Mio nodded slowly. The cold logic of the analysis was impossible to refute.

“When both of our classes lock in Ayanokoji as the target in the final phase, Class D will suffer a massive penalty. One hundred Class Points deducted.” Tetsu held up a finger, letting the rain wash over his hand. “Adding the fifty points they will lose from guessing Class C’s leader incorrectly, Class D will bleed a total of one hundred and fifty points in this special exam.”

“And although Class C will still end up with zero points, at least we won’t be further outpaced by Class D. They will be dragged down to zero right alongside you. Given your current catastrophic failure, this is the absolute best possible outcome you can hope for.”

He lowered his hand, his gaze piercing her. “For Class C, this is a golden opportunity to stop the bleeding. Make sure you seize it.”

Mio carefully weighed the proposal. The storm raged around them, but her mind was entirely focused on the brutal mathematics of the school’s S-System.

Although Class C was doomed to gain nothing from this island exam, neutralizing Class D’s gains would prevent the gap between their factions from widening. It was a defensive victory.

“But why should I trust you?” she demanded, her eyes narrowing. “What if you are just using me? What if this is a lie?”

“Do you really have the luxury of choice?” Tetsu asked dryly, his amusement barely concealed.

“Kakeru’s identity as the leader has already been compromised, and your grand infiltration plan has crashed and burned. Rather than sitting in the mud waiting for total disaster, you are better off taking a gamble.”

Mio cast a dark glance at Kakeru. The deposed dictator lay utterly motionless in the muck, clearly in no condition to wake up anytime soon.

“Besides,” Tetsu added, his voice dropping to a persuasive murmur, “if this countermeasure succeeds, your personal standing in Class C will skyrocket. After all, you will be the one who salvaged a doomed situation at the critical moment, preventing a total point collapse.”

That specific temptation struck a deep chord within Mio.

She had always existed in an awkward, isolated position within Class C, her abrasive personality making it impossible to truly fit in. If she could prove her worth by single-handedly executing this reversal, the entire dynamic of her high school life could change.

“Fine. I agree,” Mio finally conceded, giving a stiff nod. “But I need your absolute guarantee that the intelligence you provided is accurate.”

“You have my word.”

“Also…” Mio hesitated, looking down at the unconscious boy at her feet. “Will he actually cooperate after he wakes up? Following this plan is tantamount to admitting his own total failure.”

“He will cooperate,” Tetsu stated with cold finality. “Because this is the only viable path to recover his losses. Kakeru may be an arrogant tyrant, but he is not a fool. He knows exactly when to swallow his pride and compromise.”

With the terms of their dark pact settled, they prepared to part ways.

Mio walked over to Kakeru’s limp body and took a deep, steadying breath. She bent down, her boots sinking into the wet earth, and attempted to haul him up from the muddy ground. Grunting with effort, she draped one of his heavy arms over her shoulder and wrapped her own arm tightly around his waist.

“Do you require assistance?” Tetsu asked mildly.

“No need. I can handle it myself,” she gritted out, her legs shaking slightly under the dead weight.

“Then, I will see you tomorrow.”

Tetsu watched her struggle to support the unconscious boy. He didn’t bother insisting on helping her; he knew her pride wouldn’t allow it.

“Remember our agreement,” he called out over the rain.

Mio merely nodded, saving her breath. She didn’t say another word. Her entire focus was now consumed by the grueling task of dragging Kakeru safely back to the Cruise Ship without drawing unwanted attention.

Leaving the defeated duo behind, Tetsu turned and began his trek back to the Class A campsite, retracing his steps through the dense jungle.

The rain continued to pour in heavy, unrelenting sheets, but for him, handling this level of environmental difficulty was trivial. His steps were steady, his breathing perfectly controlled.

About twenty minutes later, the jagged outline of the cave that served as Class A’s base camp finally materialized through the gloom.

A faint, flickering light spilled from the cave entrance, a clear indicator that someone was still awake, keeping vigil in the dead of night.

As Tetsu approached the rocky threshold, he spotted a familiar, slender figure sitting on a boulder just inside the dry perimeter.

Masumi.

Hearing the rhythmic crunch of footsteps, she snapped her head up. The moment her eyes landed on Tetsu’s completely soaked form, a fleeting, obvious flash of relief washed over her features.

“It’s already very late,” she noted, her voice tight.

Tetsu walked up to her, pausing to glance deeper into the cavern. The rest of the students were fast asleep, their breathing steady. The entire campsite was wrapped in an exceptionally quiet, intimate atmosphere, isolated from the raging storm outside.

“I-It’s not like I actually wanted to wait up for an idiot,” Masumi suddenly snapped, her tone laced with obvious, defensive dissatisfaction. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s raining out there? What if something had happened to you in the dark?”

She stood up abruptly, her eyes darting up and down his drenched figure. Even though he appeared perfectly fine aside from being soaked to the bone, she couldn’t entirely mask the anxious tension in her posture.

“That is truly touching,” Tetsu remarked, a dry, teasing lilt in his voice. “I certainly didn’t expect to receive such VIP treatment upon my return.”

Masumi’s cheeks flushed a brilliant crimson in an instant. She whipped her head away, staring fiercely at the cave wall to avoid his gaze.

“W-Who… who is touched by you?!” she stammered, crossing her arms defensively over her chest. “I was just worried that if you went and got yourself hurt, it would drag down the entire class’s evaluation! Don’t get the wrong idea!”

Her voice cracked slightly at the end, the harsh deflection melting into genuine fluster under his calm scrutiny.

“Yes, yes… I know,” Tetsu replied softly, allowing a brief, genuine smile to surface.

He didn’t push the teasing any further. Instead, he reached out, his cool fingers gently brushing against her wrist as he unclasped the digital watch she was wearing.

“Let’s switch the watches back first.”

Masumi fell silent, the blush still lingering on her cheeks. She quietly unbuckled her own watch and handed it over, their fingers brushing briefly in the exchange.

“I’m going to go clean myself up,” Tetsu said, gesturing toward the deeper, more secluded section of the cave. “I’m covered in mud and rainwater. Walking in like this will just ruin the sleeping area.”

He paused, looking back at her. “You go inside and get some rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Masumi nodded slowly, but she didn’t move to leave immediately. She stood rooted to the spot, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something more. The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken tension.

Finally, she looked down, her voice dropping to a soft, vulnerable whisper. “Just… be careful. Don’t catch a cold.”

Having forced the words out, she spun around and walked quickly toward the sleeping area, her retreating back looking distinctly hurried and flustered.

Tetsu stood at the entrance, watching her go. Amidst the harsh, cutthroat environment of this deserted island, having someone stubbornly wait up for him in the dead of night was, admittedly, a rather pleasant feeling.