Classroom of the Elite: Surviving with the Intel System — Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Fake Boyfriend DilemmaYou're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“Sure, sure~”

The voice was light, carrying a practiced, frivolous lilt that instantly drew attention. A girl with a tea-colored ponytail rose from her desk, effortlessly weaving herself into the center of the gathering crowd.

She possessed an exquisite, doll-like face, but her defining feature was her striking honey-toned skin. It looked as though she had just returned from a lavish Hawaiian vacation, radiating the effortless warmth of summer sunshine. This was Karuizawa Kei, the undisputed core of Class 1-D’s gyaru clique.

She casually twirled the ends of her hair around a manicured finger. With every step, her pleated uniform skirt swayed in a calculated rhythm, projecting an aura that was equal parts bold and saccharine.

From his quiet vantage point at the back of the room, Shimizu Akira let his gaze drift away from the lively circle. His focus shifted inward, pulling up the third piece of data provided by his Daily Intel System.

[Intelligence Three: Class 1-D’s Karuizawa Kei is actively searching for a ‘fake boyfriend’to serve as a protective shield.]’Wait… could it be that Kei has her sights set on Yosuke?’

Akira’s eyes flicked between the honey-blonde girl and the boy she was currently smiling at. It was a logical deduction. Throughout the morning lectures, Yosuke had consistently raised his hand, delivering flawless answers that showcased a remarkable breadth of knowledge. He was practically an all-rounder.

From his handsome features to his stellar academic ability and gentle disposition, Hirata Yosuke was the quintessential male lead ripped straight from the pages of a shoujo manga. Even yesterday, after Akira had left the classroom, it was Yosuke who had taken the initiative to organize the class introductions.

A true hexagonal warrior.

‘No wonder the leader of the gyaru faction would single him out,’Akira mused, resting his chin on his hand.’However, her motives are far from pure.’He found the underlying logic of the intelligence report genuinely baffling. In the ruthless ecosystem of high school hierarchies, gyaru cliques and delinquents occupied the apex—the untouchable Tier 0. The rest of the student body should be counting their blessings that these girls weren’t actively bullying anyone. Why on earth would someone at the top of the food chain need to seek out a protective shield?’Unless… she’s tangled up in some kind of hidden trouble.’Akira tapped his finger against his desk, dismissing the thought almost immediately.’Whatever it is, it has absolutely nothing to do with me.’

As far as he was concerned, his current performance in class painted him as nothing more than an ordinary, unremarkable student.

Akira, however, was entirely wrong about his perceived mediocrity.

Using the casual motion of brushing her bangs aside as a cover, Kei let her peripheral vision sweep toward the corner of the classroom. Her gaze lingered on Akira for a fraction of a second before she smoothly snapped her attention back to the group, a frivolous smile playing on her lips.

“I heard the ramen set at the cafeteria is actually pretty decent,” she chimed in, her tone bright and cheerful.

In truth, ever since the opening ceremony yesterday, the quiet boy named Akira had firmly anchored himself in her awareness. While the rest of the class had been frantically trying to establish social footholds and make new friends, he had simply walked out, chasing down their homeroom teacher, Chabashira Sae.

‘Chabashira-sensei’s attitude toward him… it’s way too intriguing,’ Kei thought, keeping her smile fixed as the group chattered around her.

Her mind drifted back to the morning lineup. She distinctly remembered another boy rushing into the formation in a blind panic. Sae had merely given that latecomer a freezing glare, not even bothering to waste breath on a scolding. But when Akira arrived, the atmosphere shifted.

Sae’s demeanor hadn’t been strictly harsh; beneath the surface, there was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of compromise. Even more bizarrely, she had directed Akira to stand at the very front of the line—a highly conspicuous position traditionally reserved for class representatives or top-ranking honor students.

‘If a teacher dislikes a student, they just ignore them. But giving someone that kind of special, targeted attention… that implies a much more complicated dynamic.’and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

Kei knew her own academic and athletic abilities were painfully average. But when it came to reading the room and dissecting interpersonal relationships, she was a savant. A catastrophic blunder in her dark, hidden middle school past had forced her to adapt. She survived by observing every micro-expression, every shift in tone. If she didn’t maintain this hyper-vigilance, she feared the fragile gyaru armor she wore would shatter completely.

In her careful mental hierarchy, Shimizu Akira was already sitting on the exact same tier as Hirata Yosuke.

“Kei? Are you listening?” Yosuke’s gentle, melodic voice pulled her sharply back to the present.

“Ah, my bad.” She blinked, offering a flawless, apologetic giggle. “I just spaced out for a second.”

Sensing an opening, she decided to test the waters. “By the way, Yosuke… if a fight broke out between some classmates, and one of them happened to be a friend of yours, how would you handle it?”

“Well…” Yosuke hummed thoughtfully, his signature warm smile softening his features. “I’d handle it fairly. ultimately, we’re all classmates. I wouldn’t take a specific side just because I know them better. We have to look at the facts.”

“As expected of Yosuke! So fair and reliable,” a boy nearby immediately praised.

“Yeah, you really are such a nice guy,” Kei agreed, her laughter light and airy.

Beneath her cheerful facade, however, a cold stone of disappointment dropped into her stomach.

A nice guy who refuses to take sides?

The answer left her feeling hollow. Yosuke’s impartial, diplomatic nature was objectively perfect for a class leader, but it was absolute poison for her specific needs. Given her deeply rooted trauma, she didn’t need a judge; she needed an accomplice. She needed someone who would stand in front of her and bare their fangs at the world, regardless of who was right or wrong.

If she was going to take a boyfriend, she needed him to be entirely, unapologetically selfish when it came to her. She craved an exclusive, biased protection—a fierce loyalty that would make her feel safe. At her very core, beneath the makeup and the confident struts, Karuizawa Kei was a deeply broken and insecure girl.

‘As I thought…’Kei bit the inside of her cheek.’Should I really try to get Akira to play the role of my fake boyfriend?’If she chose Yosuke, it would be easy. Given his bleeding-heart personality, if she ever confessed the agonizing truth of her middle school experiences, he would undoubtedly agree to shield her without a second thought. He was the exact type of person who felt a moral obligation to protect the weak.’But if it were Akira…’Her throat tightened, a sharp spike of anxiety blooming in her chest.’Would he actually agree?’

When it came down to it, they were complete strangers sharing a room. They hadn’t exchanged a single syllable. Even if she swallowed her pride, stripped away her armor, and laid all her pathetic weaknesses bare before him, what possible reason would he have to shoulder her burdens? Sympathy? Pity?

Or… would he simply look at her with dead eyes and walk away?

A sudden memory flashed through her mind: the image of Akira decisively and ruthlessly shutting down Yamauchi Haruki. His unwavering, cold posture in that moment formed a stark, violent contrast to Yosuke’s eternally gentle restraint.

‘If it were him…’She pictured a terrifying hypothetical. Imagine she was fake-dating Yosuke, and her past finally caught up with her. The bullies cornered her, and Yosuke just stood there with that perfect, diplomatic smile, preaching that everyone should just get along and talk it out. The mere thought of it made her chest constrict in sheer panic.’That indiscriminate nice guy routine… spreading his warmth to everyone equally like a central air-conditioner… I don’t want it. It’s useless to me.’Kei took a slow, silent breath, steadying her racing heart.’It’s decided.”I’m choosing Akira.’But the moment the resolution settled in her mind, a much more brutal, practical problem reared its head, pouring ice water over her conviction.’Wait… do I even have anything… that could possibly attract a guy like him?’

[Inorin’s Note: “Hexagonal warrior” is a popular internet slang term derived from video game stat radars (which often have six points: strength, speed, intelligence, etc.). Calling someone a hexagonal warrior means their stats are completely maxed out in every possible category, making them a flawless all-rounder.]You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.